Foreign pitcher Ryan Weiss (29) of the Hanwha Eagles is a personification of competitiveness. In the match against Doosan on the 10th of last month, he grabbed attention by vehemently refusing to be substituted, waving his hand toward the bench after two outs in the eighth inning. After the game, Weiss expressed his apologies to manager Kim Kyeong-moon and exhibited greater competitive spirit than anyone else on the mound.

The same was true in the match against Samsung on the 5th. After pitching 94 pitches through the sixth inning, Weiss took the mound again in the seventh. He struck out Koo Ja-wook and handled Lewin Diaz with a ground ball to second base for two outs, but when his pitch count reached 103, Hanwha pitching coach Yang Sang-moon visited the mound.

Unlike the match a month ago against Doosan, coach Yang Sang-moon went up without receiving the ball from the umpire, checked Weiss's intention to pitch, and then left the mound. Weiss retired the next batter, Kang Min-ho, with a ground ball on the fourth pitch thrown at 152 km/h, finishing the seventh inning himself. Weiss, who led Hanwha to a 3-1 victory with a quality start plus pitching, achieved his fifth win of the season (1 loss) and lowered his earned run average from 4.35 to 3.91.

Weiss, who threw a total of 107 pitches, showcased a fastball reaching up to 157 km/h and an average of 152 km/h (50 pitches), centered around his sweeper (36 pitches), a curve (15 pitches), and a changeup (6 pitches). Aside from the solo home run given up to Lee Seong-kyu in the sixth inning, it was a flawless performance.

His immersion in the game was immense. In the fifth inning, with one out, Kang Min-ho requested time before seeing the first pitch. Weiss alerted the umpire by patting his chest before starting his pitching motion. However, demonstrating his focus, Weiss continued his pitching motion and only stopped when he belatedly noticed Kang Min-ho's request for time. Kang Min-ho smiled and sought understanding, while Weiss continued his pitching without being shaken, even in a situation that could break his rhythm.

After the game, Weiss said, "I’m happy to win again. Samsung is a really good team, and last time we had a losing series against them. This time, I hope we can have a winning series instead," adding, "I wasn’t aware of my struggles in the day game, and it was just another game. It was a special day (Children’s Day), and many of my teammates' kids came to the ballpark. I wanted to give my best to provide the team a chance to win."

Regarding coach Yang Sang-moon's visit to the mound in the seventh, he reflected, "The coach came up and first asked about my physical condition. At that time, my pitch count was 103, and the coach asked if I was willing to face the next batter, and I said yes. My competitiveness is strong, so I wanted to finish until the end of the inning."

The most intense moment of Weiss's competitiveness was when facing Diaz, the first batter in the fifth. It turned into a lengthy battle lasting as long as 13 pitches. In a full count, Diaz persistently fouled off six consecutive pitches, but Weiss struck him out looking with a backdoor sweeper on the 13th pitch.

It is rare for a long at-bat of over 10 pitches to end in a strikeout. If a batter is persistent with fouls, the pitcher is usually faltered, but Weiss managed to secure the strikeout with his signature sweeper. He remarked, "It was truly a great battle. 13 pitches is enough to finish an inning. Diaz is a really good hitter, having recorded 12 home runs this year, and I also worked hard to throw good pitches. I kept focusing on trying to overcome it, and luckily, I was able to win."

Weiss's competitiveness is not limited to his pitching. With this victory, Hanwha is on a seven-game winning streak, rebounding to 18 wins and 3 losses in the last 21 games, climbing to a joint first place with LG at 22 wins and 13 losses. This is Hanwha's first time atop the standings after the 30th game since June 2, 2007, against the Samsung team (45 games, 24 wins, 20 losses, 1 tie).

However, Weiss noted, "I don't like being tied for first. I want to be in first place solely. To do that, we need to keep winning. Both pitchers and batters need to do their respective roles well. The atmosphere is so good right now that we have to maintain the momentum," and continued, "Unlike last year, both the new ballpark and clubhouse are beautiful. We have an excellent pitching lineup in a good environment, and our defense has definitely improved with offseason enhancements. It was tough at the beginning of the season, but after the eight-game winning streak, all players began to believe that we are a good team. We had a two-game losing streak after the eight-game winning streak, but it’s important that it didn't last long and that we’re winning again. I've developed a mindset that we can win every game. We need to keep moving forward like we are now."

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