They almost gave up a 6-point lead. At a moment of rising tension of a major disaster, the veteran stepped up. Ryu Hyun-jin's (38) leadership, which called the fielders during the game, greatly contributed to the Hanwha Eagles reclaiming second place in the KBO.

Hanwha secured an 8-7 walk-off victory against Lotte in Daejeon on the 25th after a 10-inning battle. With two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th inning, Moon Hyun-bin drew a push walk, putting an end to the 3-hour and 40-minute long contest. After winning the 3-game series against rival Lotte 2-1, Hanwha reclaimed second place just a day later.

For Hanwha, it was a game they had faced hell twice. In the first inning, Estevan Florial hit a solo home run, and Roh Si-hwan hit a three-run home run, allowing Hanwha to take the lead with 4 runs. In the second inning, they added 2 more runs to extend their lead to 6-0. Starting pitcher Moon Dong-ju also shut out Lotte's powerful lineup until the 4th inning, creating a comfortable winning atmosphere for Hanwha.

However, the flow of the game changed dramatically in the 5th inning. After one out, Moon Dong-ju, who had been pitching well, gave up a walk and began to struggle. In just the 5th inning, he allowed 6 runs on 5 hits, including 3 doubles and 2 walks. Faced with a barrage of hits from Lotte's lineup, Moon Dong-ju couldn't last through the 5th inning, and the score of 6-0 quickly turned into a tie at 6-6.

As the momentum shifted towards Lotte, Ryu Hyun-jin stepped up to the front of the dugout. Watching the game from the first-base dugout, Ryu Hyun-jin called the fielders together after completing the 6th inning before heading into attack. All fielders, including foreign hitter Estevan Florial, were captured on the TV broadcast listening to Ryu Hyun-jin.

Coincidentally, after Ryu Hyun-jin's urgent meeting, Hanwha scored. In the 6th inning, leadoff hitter Lee Won-seok hit a ball that deflected off the shortstop and fell in front of centerfield after a 7-pitch at-bat, then successfully stole second base, shaking up the Lotte defense. After a ground ball to second base by Choi Jae-hun, who executed a fake bunt slash, it became first and third with one out, prompting Lotte to replace pitcher Kim Sang-su with Song Jae-young. As Song Jae-young's fifth slider was a wild pitch, Lee Won-seok dashed home. Perhaps due to Ryu Hyun-jin's meeting effect, they quickly regained the lead.

After two outs in the 9th inning, Han Seung-hyeok allowed a game-tying solo home run to Jeon Jun-woo, sending the game into extra innings, but Hanwha did not collapse. In the bottom of the 10th with two outs and the bases loaded, Moon Hyun-bin watched four consecutive balls and created a push score. This was the first walk-off victory at the new Daejeon stadium.

After the game, Moon Hyun-bin commented on the walk-off push walk situation, saying, “When it became two balls, I thought about seeing one more pitch. When it became three balls, I wasn’t intending to swing, but a walk was issued.” He added, “I was more focused since we are in a battle for second place against Lotte.”

Moon Hyun-bin also shared what Ryu Hyun-jin said during the changeover between innings in the 6th. “Ryu Hyun-jin said, ‘The other team is hitting well. We are not losing, and we can regain the lead. Let’s focus on our game and not get swept up in the opponent’s momentum,'” he noted, emphasizing that this helped him concentrate even more.

Ryu Hyun-jin is not the type to step up and make his presence known. When there are issues, he speaks up from behind the scenes and demonstrates a quiet leadership style as he leads. Kim Kyung-moon, the Hanwha manager, has consistently mentioned Ryu Hyun-jin when discussing the team's atmosphere throughout the season, whether in good or bad times, noting, “He nurtures the players well and creates an atmosphere that prevents them from getting too overly excited when they are winning.”

However, on this day, he stepped up in front of everyone on the field. This highlighted the importance of the game, and if they had suffered a comeback loss, the aftereffects could last quite a long time. Unable to just watch, Ryu Hyun-jin gathered the team at the right moment, changing the momentum that could have overwhelmed them by Lotte, and although there were twists and turns, they managed to win with a walk-off, thus avoiding disaster.

This year, Hanwha has changed the atmosphere or tightened their focus in-game with several players taking turns since foreign pitcher Cody Ponce in the Daejeon KIA game on March 28, followed by Lee Jae-won in the Daejeon Kiwoom game on the 11th of last month, Chae Eun-seong in the Daejeon NC game on the 18th, and now Ryu Hyun-jin. All four games they held meetings for resulted in victories, adding another pleasant jinx after Kim Kyung-moon's 12-game winning streak hoodie.

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