Moon Hyun-bin's exclusion from the starting lineup stands out. This season, he has played 17 games with a batting average of .333 (51 at-bats, 17 hits), hitting 3 home runs and 11 RBIs, showing the highest hitting productivity in the Hanwha team.
Hanwha fielded a lineup against Kiwoom in Daejeon on the 13th, facing right-handed starter Jo Young-gun with Lee Won-seok (right fielder), Esteban Florial (center fielder), Choi In-ho (designated hitter), Noh Si-hwan (third baseman), Kim Tae-yeon (left fielder), Chae Eun-sung (first baseman), Hwang Young-muk (second baseman), Choi Jae-hoon (catcher), and YIDO (shortstop). The starting pitcher was Moon Dong-joo.
It is noteworthy that Moon Hyun-bin was excluded from the starting lineup. He has recorded a batting average of .333 (51 at-bats, 17 hits) with 3 home runs and 11 RBIs, showcasing the highest batting production in the Hanwha team this season.
In particular, on the 10th, he exploded with 4 hits in two consecutive games against Doosan at Jamsil and against Kiwoom in Daejeon on the 11th. On the 11th against Kiwoom, he hit a massive home run that traveled 130 meters, soaring over the right-side 8-meter monster wall in the 6th inning. On the 12th against Kiwoom, he hit a large 1-RBI clutch hit that directly struck the top of the monster wall in the 5th inning.
Having reached peak hitting form, he was unexpectedly excluded from the starting lineup. Hanwha manager Kim Kyung-moon noted in an interview with reporters before the game that Moon Hyun-bin has a slight strain in his back. "The weather is also cold today, so we decided to rest him. There are no games tomorrow, so we plan to let him rest. We do not want to overexert injured players. We hope other players can step up," he stated, indicating that he would prefer not to use him as a substitute.
With Moon Hyun-bin's absence, overall lineup adjustments have taken place. Choi In-ho stepped into the 3rd spot as the designated hitter in place of Moon Hyun-bin, and Lee Won-seok is making his first start of the season in the 1st batting spot. Lee Won-seok, who has yet to record his first hit this season with 13 at-bats and no hits in 15 games, is making his third start of the season. Primarily known as a pinch runner, Lee has recorded 3 stolen bases and 6 runs.
Manager Kim Kyung-moon remarked, "(Lee) Won-seok has not been hitting well, but it would be great if he could record a hit today batting first. He has been training hard since winter, and it would be frustrating if he doesn't get a hit. If he can get a hit today, it will benefit him for the rest of the season." He added, "It's good for him to occasionally start instead of just being used as a pinch runner. YIDO did well last year, but (Shim) Woo-jun hasn't been able to play much. It's not that Woo-jun is injured, but we want to start YIDO first."
Meanwhile, regarding starting pitcher Eom Sang-baek, who was pulled early after allowing 5 hits, 3 walks, and 4 strikeouts in 3 innings, leading to his third loss of the season, Manager Kim pointed out, "Regardless of whether he is hit or not, the pitcher must always take control of the situation and throw the ball, not be dragged around by the batters while throwing too many pitches," expressing hope that he would improve in the upcoming games.
[OSEN]