Hanwha Eagles legend home run king Jang Jong-hoon, the national team hitting coach, expressed confidence in Hanwha's fall baseball this year.

Hanwha is having an impressive season this year, recording 28 wins and 18 losses with a winning percentage of .609, tying for second place in the league with Lotte. They are just 2 games behind first place LG (30 wins, 16 losses, winning percentage of .652).

Since reaching the semifinals in 2018, Hanwha had a poor start to this season as well. Up until April 9, they remained in 10th place in the league with 5 wins and 10 losses for a winning percentage of .333. However, from April 13 to 23, they surged with 8 consecutive wins, quickly jumping into the upper rankings, and after two consecutive losses, they went on another impressive run from April 26 to May 11, achieving 12 consecutive wins and claiming the sole lead in the league.

This marks the third time in history that Hanwha has recorded over 10 consecutive wins, following 1992 and 1999. In the previous seasons where they achieved 10 consecutive wins, they reached the Korean Series, and in 1999, they won their first and only Korean Series championship.

Coach Jang Jong-hoon, a one-club man of Hanwha, experienced both the regular season championship in 1992 and the Korean Series championship in 1999. Celebrating Hanwha's third 10-game winning streak, he noted, “It took a really long time.” He added, “Watching baseball has been fun lately. Everyone around is saying how well Hanwha is doing, and since the fans are happy, I can't help but watch.” He mentioned, “It seems to be the best when the fans are happy. They have suffered so much until now.”

Coach Jang Jong-hoon, who was a key player during the 1999 Korean Series championship, compared this year to that year, stating, “Many people say the hitters were better in 1999 and that the pitchers are good this year. I believe baseball is all about pitching. The fifth starter (Eom Sang-baek) stumbled a bit, but the starting rotation is going well and has become stable. Thanks to that, the fielders seem to have gained stability in defense. I think we can now play a game focused on defense. In that sense, I believe our current pace can last until the end.”

The surge this season for Hanwha can be attributed not just to Ryu Hyun-jin but also to Cody Ponce and Ryan Weiss. Coach Jang Jong-hoon chuckled, saying, “While Hanwha has benefited from foreign hitters, we haven't really benefited much from foreign pitchers.” He added, “This year, we have really good pitchers. The quality of the four starters is incomparable to any other team. From the perspective of the fielders, having this kind of pitching staff allows for a more comfortable game.”

Unlike the 1999 Hanwha, which was led by veterans like Jang Jong-hoon, Song Jin-woo, Jung Min-cheol, and Koo Dae-sung, this year’s Hanwha is significantly bolstered by younger players like Noh Si-hwan, Kim Seo-hyun, and Jung Woo-joo. Coach Jang Jong-hoon praised the young pitchers, saying, “Seeing rookie Jung Woo-joo pitch on the mound is quite impressive and calm. Kim Seo-hyun also seems to have risen to a certain level.”

Of course, Hanwha is not a perfect team this year. Coach Jang Jong-hoon expressed concern, saying, “What is disappointing is that the outfielders' positions have not yet been solidified. What more can we do now? We can only hope the players we have perform well. It seems that the growth of the outfielders is a bit slow, which is regrettable.”

Hanwha opened its new home stadium, Hanwha Life Baseball Park, this year. Coach Jang Jong-hoon shared, “I've been there twice. I went once for the opening ceremony and once for the opening game, but honestly, the atmosphere during the opener wasn't great. Still, fortunately, we won, and since then, the team has started doing well.” He added, “Now it's so popular that I can't even get a ticket. I just want to visit the stadium once to experience that atmosphere, even if there are no seats.”

Coach Jang Jong-hoon emphasized, “The biggest concern is the players' stamina and injuries. Of course, the coaching staff will prepare well for that. If we manage those aspects well, I believe Hanwha can continue moving forward.” He noted, “It might be a premature statement, but I think we can definitely make the playoffs. Even if we don't win this year, I hope we can bring as much joy to the fans for as long as possible.”

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