The Hanwha Eagles in professional baseball have once again narrowed the gap to 0.5 games behind the first-place LG Twins. Under the absolute trust of manager Kim Kyung-moon, cleanup hitter Roh Si-hwan responded with a decisive hit that broke his silence.

Hanwha, led by manager Kim Kyung-moon, won a home game against the Doosan Bears in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon on the 10th, with a score of 6-2.

With a season record of 38 wins and 27 losses (winning percentage .585), Hanwha trailed first-place LG (38 wins, 26 losses, 1 tie; winning percentage .594) by 0.5 games after LG lost to SSG by 2-6 on that day.

Starting pitcher Weiss led the team to victory with a performance of 7 innings, allowing 3 hits and 1 walk, striking out 10 batters without giving up a run, achieving his 8th win of the season (with 2 losses). Weiss also lowered his earned run average from 3.36 to 3.09, nearing the 2.00 mark.

In the 7th inning, there was a crisis with no outs and runners on first and second after center fielder Lee Won-seok's error led to a double by Yang Eui-ji, but Weiss induced Kim In-tae into an infield flyout at second base, then struck out Lee Yoo-chan and Kim Min-seok with consecutive sweeps. Weiss wrapped up his outing after throwing exactly 100 pitches, reaching a top velocity of 156 km/h and an average of 152 km/h, primarily relying on fastballs (43 pitches) and sweeps (40 pitches), mixing in curves (13 pitches) and changeups (4 pitches). He recorded 7 strikeouts with his signature sweep as the decisive pitch.

The batting lineup was held hitless by Doosan's starting pitcher Cole Ervin until the 5th inning, but in the 6th, they scored the first run on a hit from Lee Won-seok, followed by a sacrifice bunt, a wild pitch, and an infield hit from Hwang Young-mook.

Then in the 7th inning, they poured in 5 runs to solidify their lead. After one out, Moon Hyun-bin reached base with an infield hit to the left of the pitcher, followed by cleanup hitter Roh Si-hwan exploding for an RBI double that soared over the center fielder off the first slider thrown by the new pitcher Choi Ji-gang. This decisive hit was especially meaningful for Roh Si-hwan, who had been struggling with a severe slump.

Roh Si-hwan, on the 8th against KIA in Gwangju, had bowed his head after committing a throwing error on a ground ball from Go Jong-wook in the 10th inning of extra innings. Prior to this game, he had recorded a batting average of .179 (22 hits in 123 at-bats) with 2 home runs and 18 RBIs, giving him an OPS of .539 since May, compounded by the error that led to the loss, resulting in intense scrutiny.

However, he retained his position as the cleanup hitter in the starting lineup against Doosan. Manager Kim Kyung-moon noted before the game, "Roh has helped us reach this point. In our country, we tend to push too hard with one player. Despite claims he was underperforming, he has the highest RBIs (41) on the team," and expressed confidence saying, "I did not say anything to Roh. There is nothing to worry about. He will perform well going forward and help us win," to which Roh Si-hwan responded with a decisive hit.

Roh Si-hwan's RBI double revitalized Hanwha's momentum. In the continued 7th inning offense, after Chae Eun-seong drew a walk and a wild pitch of the opponent, with 2 outs and runners on second and third, pinch hitter Choi In-ho delivered a 2-RBI hit. With Lee Won-seok's hit to right field, continuing with runners on first and second, the opposing team made an error on Lee Jae-won's infield hit, allowing both runners to score quickly to create a 5-run big inning.

After the game, manager Kim Kyung-moon praised Weiss, stating, "Weiss delivered a perfect start for 7 innings without allowing a run, paving the way for victory," and emphasized, "The fielders also showcased concentrated hitting against the opposing bullpen in the 7th inning, scoring 5 runs to seize the momentum for victory."

Meanwhile, Hanwha aims for a winning streak with left-handed pitcher Cho Dong-uk set to start against Doosan on the 11th. Ryu Hyun-jin was removed from the game against KT in Daejeon on the 5th due to discomfort in his adductor muscles and was placed on the injured list as a precaution, giving Cho Dong-uk an opportunity to step in as the substitute starter. He has prior experience with 8 starts last year (with a record of 1 win and 2 losses, and an earned run average of 6.51). This will be his first start in 259 days since September 25 of last year against LG in Jamsil. Doosan will send sidearm pitcher Choi Won-jun to the mound.

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