It was a 10-strikeout performance that erased even a teammate's mistake. Ryan Weiss (29), the foreign pitcher for the Hanwha Eagles in professional baseball, had a powerful fastball and a shining camaraderie.
On the 10th, Weiss started in the home game against the Doosan Bears in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League at Daejeon Hanwha Life Park, leading Hanwha to a 6-2 victory with a performance of 7 innings, 3 hits allowed, 1 walk, 10 strikeouts, and no runs.
Weiss, who had pitched well in the previous two games with 6 innings and 1 run allowed, and 5 innings with 2 runs allowed, finally earned his 8th win of the season (2 losses) with a perfect performance. His earned run average dropped from 3.36 to 3.09, nearing the 2's.
Starting from the first inning, Weiss kicked things off with a 'KKK' inning. He struck out No. 1 hitter Jeong Soo-bin with a sweeping pitch inside, and then struck out Jake Cave with an outside backdoor sweeper for consecutive strikeouts. Although Yang Eui-ji began with three balls, he managed to strike out, looking, on a sweeping pitch after a 7-pitch battle, successfully taking control.
In the second inning, he forced Kim Jae-hwan into a ground ball to second base and struck out Kim In-tae with a low outside fastball after a swing and a miss. He allowed a ground ball from Lee Yoo-chan that barely hit, but ended the inning by inducing a ground ball from Kim Min-seok.
The third inning saw another three up, three down. He got Park Jun-soon to fly out to right field and induced ground balls to first from Lee Seon-woo and Jeong Soo-bin. Although Jeong Soo-bin made solid contact, first baseman Chae Eun-seong dove to catch it, stepping on first base to finish the inning.
In the fourth inning, he retired Cave with a flyout to right field, and got Yang Eui-ji with a flyout to left, before striking out Kim Jae-hwan on three pitches. Chilling him with an outside backdoor sweeper, he finished the fourth inning with just 6 pitches. Riding the momentum, Weiss caught Kim In-tae and Lee Yoo-chan in succession with infield flyouts, and then struck out Kim Min-seok on three pitches, fooling him with a high outside fastball on the third pitch.
In the sixth inning, Weiss struck out lead-off batter Park Jun-soon with a sweeping pitch on three strikes. However, he allowed a double that went past right fielder Lee Seon-woo. Rookie infielder Lee Seon-woo pulled Weiss's second pitch, a high fastball clocked at 154 km/h, for his first hit of the debut double. In a scoring threat, he faced Jeong Soo-bin but remained unfazed. In an 8-pitch duel, he struck out swinging with an outside changeup. He then handled a bounced ball in front of the pitcher himself and threw to first base to escape the threat without conceding a run.
While Hanwha seized the first point in the sixth inning, Weiss faced another crisis in the seventh. He induced a flyout from lead-off hitter Yang Eui-ji, but center fielder Lee Won-seok missed the drop point. Lee Won-seok caught the ball that fell behind him and threw to second base, while Yang Eui-ji sprinted in with a headfirst slide. The initial call was out, but after a video review, it was overturned to safe.
After allowing a double due to a fielding error, Weiss allowed Kim Jae-hwan to walk after a full-count battle. With no outs and runners on 1st and 2nd, Weiss remained calm. He induced Kim In-tae into an infield fly out to second base and then struck out Lee Yoo-chan on three swings with three sweepers. After that, he used a fastball and curve, finally employing a sweeper as his final pitch on the seventh. With the low sweeping pitch moving in, Kim Min-seok's bat whiffed to end the inning. Weiss let out a roar.
With a total pitch count of 100, Weiss reached a top speed of 156 km/h and averaged 152 km/h with fastballs (43), sweepers (43), mixed with curves (13) and changeups (4). He struck out seven batters with sweepers, regardless of left or right-handed hitters. Adding 4 three-pitch strikeouts, he completely dominated the Doosan lineup.
After the game, Weiss said, “It was really a tight game, and I’m happy to win. I threw with all my might for the team's victory,” adding, “The season is long. Every time I start, I try my best not to give up runs. My role as a starter is to get as many innings as possible.”
The process of overcoming the crisis in the seventh inning was impressive. In a tight battle with a one-run lead, a defensive error created a crisis, but he didn’t crumble and overcame it himself. After finishing the inning, he warmly embraced Lee Won-seok, who had made the error.
Regarding this, Weiss noted, “It was a 1-0 lead, and I did my best not to allow runs, so it felt good to overcome it without conceding.” He mentioned that after the seventh, Lee Won-seok approached him and apologized. Weiss responded, “Don’t apologize. You never know what will happen in baseball. I hope you continue to play as you have been.” He emphasized that the season is long and that he knows Lee Won-seok is doing his best. “As a teammate, my job is to help when a colleague makes a mistake. I’m glad I could do that.”
On this day, Daejeon Hanwha Life Park saw an audience of 16,691, failing to sell out the 17,000 seats. The consecutive sellout streak of KBO league's all-time home games, which had been running since the April 13 game against Kiwoom, ended with the game against KT on the 5th. Nevertheless, Weiss did not forget to express his gratitude towards the fans.
He stated, “Many fans came to fill the stadium at our new stadium this year. Not just at home, but even at away games, our Hanwha fans make it feel like home wherever we go. I think our fans are the best,” and added, “We must ensure that the fans have a fun and enjoyable baseball watching experience. I will strive to show our best performance so that we do not disappoint our fans.”
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