Ryan Weiss (29), known as 'Daejeon Jesus' of the Hanwha Eagles, surprised manager Kim Kyung-moon by giving up the challenge for a complete game victory. Although he was replaced after giving up a hit to the first batter, his heart for the team remained the same.

On the 23rd, Weiss led Hanwha to a 4-2 victory against Lotte in Daejeon with a performance of 8 innings pitched, allowing 4 hits (1 home run), no walks, striking out 11, and giving up 2 runs. With this win, Weiss improved to 7 wins (2 losses) for the season and lowered his earned run average from 3.67 to 3.50. He recorded 80 strikeouts over 69⅓ innings, with a WHIP of 1.02 and a batting average against of .290. He has registered 8 quality starts. Although his earned run average ranks 19th, he is 2nd in quality starts, tied for 3rd in wins, and 3rd in strikeouts per inning, with WHIP and batting average against ranking 6th in the league.

Following his performance against Kiwoom on the 11th (8 innings, 1 hit, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts, no runs), this was Weiss' second 8-inning outing of the season. During the Kiwoom game, he had thrown 93 pitches through 8 innings, and a complete game was certainly within reach. However, he surprised manager Kim Kyung-moon by expressing his desire to stop pitching first, prioritizing the long term over personal ambition.

Manager Kim Kyung-moon noted, "I didn’t pull him. Weiss himself decided to stop pitching, which surprised me as well. From a manager's perspective, I wanted to replace him for protection, but if a pitcher wants to pitch the 9th with a chance for a complete game, I can't prevent that. But he made that decision, considering the more than 100 games left ahead. I was very grateful as a manager."

Twelve days later, Weiss succeeded again in pitching 8 innings. With 93 pitches thrown by the end of the 8th, it was expected that he would hand the mound over to closer Kim Seo-hyeon at the start of the 9th inning. However, after completing the 8th inning, he was seen conversing with manager Kim Kyung-moon in the dugout for an extended period, and in the 9th, with a 4-1 lead, Weiss returned to the mound.

However, after allowing a weak hit to left fielder Jang Du-seong, pitching coach Yang Sang-mun came to the mound. He left after throwing 98 pitches in total. Although Kim Seo-hyeon allowed Weiss's responsibility runner to score, adding 1 run, it was a performance that helped the team escape a 2-game losing streak and return to 2nd place.

After the game, Weiss said, "The manager came to me after the 8th inning. I had a desire to face just one more batter, and the manager suggested that he would replace me if a runner got on base. That was a very correct decision, and I agreed. I was indeed replaced when a runner got on base."

He continued, "There was a similar situation in the Kiwoom game, but I had thrown a lot in the previous game and was physically burdened. The score was also 8-0, so I didn’t need to pitch the 9th inning. Today, if I wanted to pitch the full 9th, I shouldn’t have allowed a hit."

Giving up a complete game in the Kiwoom game came after pitching a season-high 107 pitches over 7 innings against Samsung on the 5th. I felt a bit burdened after that performance. However, in the Lotte game, I felt I had power left, and the score was 4-1, which was relatively tight, so I wanted to take care to keep the bullpen intact and finish strong through the 9th.

Above all, I wanted to make up for the poor performance in the last game. On the 17th in the second game of a doubleheader against SSG, Weiss suffered a loss after giving up 5 hits, 2 walks, and 4 runs over 5 innings. He didn’t pitch poorly, but he allowed 4 runs in one inning, surrendering the lead. The team lost 2-5, leaving Weiss with a burden on his mind.

Weiss said, "I showed a poor performance in the SSG game, and I was very disappointed as the team lost. Today, I went to the mound with a refreshed mindset." He added, "I tried to let go of complicated thoughts and approach simply. I used my slider more than my sweeper today, and my curveball worked well, allowing me to navigate the game effectively. I want to give credit to Lee Jae-won, who provided a great lead from the 1st inning."

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