The Hanwha Eagles achieved an overwhelming seventh consecutive victory. They swept an impressive 18 wins in the last 21 games, ranking first based on more than 30 games for the first time in 18 years. This marks the first time in 6,547 days.
Hanwha, led by Manager Kim Kyung-moon, won 3-1 against the Samsung Lions in a home game at Hanwha Life Eagles Park on the 5th.
Starting pitcher Ryan Weiss pitched seven innings, throwing 107 pitches, allowing three hits (one home run), one walk, and striking out five while giving up one run to become the winning pitcher for the fifth consecutive game. The only run he allowed was a solo home run to Lee Seong-kyu in the sixth inning. He primarily threw fastballs with a top speed of 157 km/h and an average of 152 km/h, mixing in a curveball (15 pitches) and a changeup (6 pitches). After securing his fifth win (one loss) of the season, Weiss lowered his earned run average from 4.53 to 3.91.
Following Weiss, Park Sang-won in the eighth inning and Kim Seo-hyun in the ninth inning both held their opponents scoreless for one inning each, maintaining the lead. Park notched his fifth hold of the season, while Kim secured his 11th save.
In the batting lineup, Moon Hyun-bin led the victory with two hits and one RBI in four at-bats, including a first-inning lead-off solo home run. The day before (the 4th), after being hit by a pitch in the fourth inning against KIA and getting caught off first base by a surprise pickoff from the opposing catcher Kim Tae-gun, he was taken out in a disciplinary substitution. However, on this day, he batted third and hit his fifth home run of the season against Samsung starter Choi Won-tae, atoning for his previous game.
He drove a cutter that came in at a high speed of 140 km/h on the sixth pitch from Samsung's right-handed starter Choi Won-tae over the left field fence for a solo home run. It traveled at 151.7 km/h with an angle of 35.5 degrees, covering a distance of 105 meters, marking his fifth home run of the season.
In the eighth inning, Moon Hyun-bin added momentum by hitting a single to left center with no outs and no runners on base. Following his hit, No Si-hwan's hit to center created a chance for first and second base, and Chae Eun-seong capped it off with a timely hit to left field. No Si-hwan also contributed with two hits and one RBI in four at-bats.
Since achieving seven consecutive victories starting from the game against KT in Daejeon on the 26th of last month, Hanwha swept an incredible 18 wins in the last 21 games, bringing their season record to 22 wins and 13 losses (.629 winning percentage) with a +9 run differential. They climbed to a tie for first place with LG, who lost to Doosan 2-5 that day.
Apart from the opening game, it has been 396 days since Hanwha last held the top spot since April 4 of last year. However, that was at the very beginning of the season, after 10 games (8 wins and 2 losses). The last time Hanwha ranked first based on more than 30 games was on June 2, 2007 (with a record of 24 wins, 20 losses, and 1 tie, .545 winning percentage), which is a noteworthy event. This marks a gap of 6,547 days.
After the game, Hanwha Manager Kim Kyung-moon praised his pitchers, saying, "Weiss fulfilled his role perfectly as the starting pitcher for seven innings, and although the tight situation continued, the bullpen, including Park Sang-won and closer Kim Seo-hyun in the eighth, managed to hold back the opposing batting lineup well."
He further noted, "We scored at crucial times when we needed to score," and praised the players for maintaining their focus despite the inclement weather with rain drizzling midway through the game.
Hanwha is set to send left-hander Ryu Hyun-jin as the starting pitcher against Samsung on the 6th, aiming for their second eight-game winning streak of the season. For Samsung, who is on a three-game losing streak, the native ace right-hander Won Tae-in will take the mound.
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