“We should listen to what Coach Yang says.”
The Hanwha Eagles in professional baseball have surged to a nine-game winning streak for the first time in 20 years, claiming the top spot (24 wins, 13 losses, winning percentage .649) primarily due to the strength of their pitching. While the contributions of the outfielders in supporting the pitchers with stable defense cannot be ignored, it is significant that both the starting and relief pitchers continue to perform well.
Although the team ranks 8th in batting average (.244) and 7th in OPS (.693), their pitching is exceptional, holding the 2nd place in team earned run average (3.16). In particular, they have a stable starting earned run average of 2nd (3.13). Among the 10 teams, they are the only one with five starters rotating without any injuries. Led by foreign pitchers KODI Ponce (6 wins) and Ryan Weiss (5 wins), and with Ryu Hyun-jin and Moon Dong-joo (both with 4 wins) along with Eom Sang-baek (1 win), they have already combined for 20 wins.
Their relief pitching is also strong, ranking 3rd in earned run average (3.20). The top reliever, Kim Seo-hyun, has already recorded 11 saves with an exceptional earned run average below 1 (0.46), while Han Seung-hyuk has recently maintained a streak of 15 consecutive scoreless games, effectively shutting down the 8th inning. They have won all 19 games where they held the lead until the 7th inning. Experienced pitchers like Park Sang-won and rookie Jeong Woo-joo are also being effectively utilized in the bullpen.
During the recent nine-game winning streak, their pitching has been dominant with an earned run average of 1.95. Teams facing Hanwha are overwhelmed by their strong pitching. In the recent three-game series on Children's Day against Hanwha, Samsung manager Park Jin-man noted, “Hanwha’s 4th and 5th starters would be 2nd or 3rd starters for other teams, showing how solid their rotation is. The bullpen is also performing excellently, and it seems to have become even stronger. I think they have the most solid pitching staff among the 10 teams.”
Hanwha manager Kim Kyung-moon always mentions pitching coach Yang Sang-moon whenever the topic of pitchers comes up. Since before the season, Manager Kim has expressed, “Isn’t Coach Yang a pitching expert more than I am? I rely heavily on him for the pitchers,” showcasing complete trust in him. Regarding Kim Seo-hyun's development this season, Kim noted, “It has gone well because Coach Yang has communicated a lot,” attributing the credit entirely to him.
Recently, scenes of Manager Kim and Coach Yang discussing pitcher substitutions while looking at paper documents in the dugout have frequently been captured on broadcast screens. Manager Kim remarked, “We have to listen to what Coach Yang says. He is experienced both as a manager and a coach,” further affirming his trust.
Coach Yang is one of the top pitching experts in the country, having served as the first team manager for Lotte from 2004 to 2005, LG from 2014 to 2017, and Lotte again in 2019. A notable figure in the baseball community, Coach Yang returned to the field last July as Hanwha's pitching coach after being called by Manager Kim, who had previously stated that it is essential to develop strong pitchers. While serving as a commentator, Coach Yang had also thought a lot about how to handle young pitchers like Moon Dong-joo and Hwang Jun-seo, looking forward to strengthening their pitching.
Having a long-standing connection as seniors and juniors from Busan Dongseong Middle School, it was an impossible hire without Manager Kim’s influence, but after Coach Yang joined, the Hanwha pitching staff significantly improved. Well-versed in both theory and practice, Coach Yang pays meticulous attention to not only technical guidance but also the mental aspects of the pitchers. With a gentle personality, he excels at building rapport with players and motivates them through praise and encouragement. Upon joining Hanwha last year, he wrote personal letters to each player to convey his sincerity. After various pitchers, including Kim Seo-hyun and Park Sang-won, who had faced tough times until mid-season, successfully rebounded, they expressed gratitude for the trust shown by Coach Yang.
In managing the mound, Manager Kim actively incorporates Coach Yang’s opinions to achieve optimal results. This year, Hanwha has the lowest inherited runner scoring rate (22.5%) in the league, and timely pitcher substitutions are being made during crisis situations. Although there have been two instances of three consecutive games, Hanwha has the fewest multi-inning relief appearances at 16. While the influence of starters throwing longer is significant, they endeavor to distribute the workload among specific pitchers to avoid bullpen overload.
However, as one- to two-point games have been continuing recently, it has inevitably led to more frequent calls for Han Seung-hyuk and Kim Seo-hyun. Both Manager Kim and Coach Yang are aware of this situation. They are checking and managing not only actual game appearances but also the number of times pitchers warm up in the bullpen. Manager Kim’s papers also include details about these pitchers' pitch counts and warm-up frequencies. He mentioned, “In the bullpen, there are many players who warm up but do not get into the game. I discuss these matters extensively with Coach Yang.”
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