The Hanwha Eagles achieved their 40th win, securing a 50% chance of winning the Korean Series.
Hanwha won 3-2 against the Doosan Bears in a home game held at Hanwha Life Eagles Park on the 12th as part of the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League.
Starting pitcher Eom Sang-baek prepared the groundwork for victory with 5 innings, 4 hits allowed, 1 walk, 9 strikeouts, and 2 earned runs. In the critical eighth inning, with a 3-2 lead and 2 outs, closer Kim Seo-hyeon emerged to handle a bases-loaded situation, finishing with 1⅓ innings and no earned runs for his 18th save of the season.
Hanwha, which swept the mid-week series against Doosan, improved to 40 wins and 27 losses (winning percentage .597). As the first-place LG team, with 39 wins, was playing against SSG in Jamsil, Hanwha succeeded in being the first to reach 40 wins.
Until last year, excluding the first and second halves and the two leagues, the probability of winning the regular season for teams that reached 40 wins first was 62.5% (25 out of 40 times). The probability of winning the Korean Series stands at 50.0% (20 out of 40 times), making the postseason entry probability 100%.
Doosan scored first in the top of the first inning. Against Hanwha starting pitcher Eom Sang-baek, leadoff batter Jeong Soo-bin and Oh Myeong-jin hit consecutive singles to right field. Yang Eui-ji followed with a big hit that sailed over the center fielder's head, allowing the runner on second, Jeong Soo-bin, to score. In the continued situation of no outs with runners on second and third, Kim Jae-hwan's ground ball to second brought in the runner on third, giving Doosan a 2-0 lead.
Immediately, Hanwha retaliated in the bottom of the first inning. After a hit-by-pitch for Ha Ju-suk, Roh Si-hwan exploded with a game-tying two-run homer with two outs and a runner on second. He belted a 124 km/h sweeper from Doosan's starting pitcher Jack Logg that came inside, sending it over the left field wall for a distance of 115 meters, marking his 12th homer of the season. This was the first home run he had hit in 15 games since the match against Lotte in Daejeon on the 25th of last month.
After that, both teams maintained a 2-2 tie without additional runs. Hanwha starter Eom Sang-baek showed exceptional pitching with 5 innings, 4 hits allowed, 1 walk, 9 strikeouts, and 2 earned runs. He threw a total of 90 pitches, reaching a maximum speed of 149 km/h and averaging 145 km/h, including 27 fastballs, 33 changeups, 17 curves, 11 two-seamers, and 2 cutters, effectively completing his starting role with aggressive pitching.
Hanwha began utilizing their bullpen starting in the sixth inning. In the sixth, Park Sang-won closed out the inning in order, but after that, Kim Beom-su issued a walk and a pitching change occurred. Ju Hyun-sang struck out the next two batters to get out of the inning unscathed, keeping the game tied.
Finally, in the bottom of the seventh, Hanwha seized an opportunity. Leadoff batter Lee Jin-young exploded for a double over the center fielder's head on Jack Logg's first pitch. After Kim Tae-yean's sacrifice bunt and Choi Jae-hun's hit-by-pitch, with one out and runners on first and third, Lee Do-yoon popped out to the infield, but Lee Won-seok delivered a timely hit to center, successfully overturning the score to 3-2. This hit knocked Jack Logg out of the game; he ended the night with 6⅔ innings, allowing 7 hits (1 home run), 3 walks, and 3 earned runs, suffering his 6th loss of the season (4 wins).
Doosan then brought in Park Chi-kuk with 2 outs and runners on first and third. During Hanwha's pinch hitter Ahn Chi-hong's at-bat, Lee Won-seok attempted to steal second base on the second pitch. Catcher Yang Eui-ji made the throw, but pitcher Park Chi-kuk cut it off and threw to third base, catching the runner Estevan Florial in a rundown to end the inning. This moment effectively halted Hanwha's momentum.
After a crisis came an opportunity. Doosan retaliated immediately in the top of the eighth. Against Hanwha's ace pitcher Han Seung-hyeok, leadoff hitter Jeong Soo-bin reached with a single to right field. Following a sacrifice bunt from Oh Myeong-jin, with one out and a man on second, Yang Eui-ji was handled with a ground ball to third, and then Kim Jae-hwan was issued an automatic intentional walk to first base. Then, against Kim In-tae, a pitch was deflected off the body for a hit-by-pitch, creating a bases-loaded situation with two outs.
Consequently, Hanwha brought in closer Kim Seo-hyeon. With two outs and the maximum crisis of a bases-loaded situation, Kim Seo-hyeon induced Jake Cave to ground out to second on the fifth pitch, getting out of the jam without allowing any runs. In the ninth inning, he allowed a single to leadoff hitter Lee Yoo-chan, but catcher Lee Jae-won helped by successfully throwing out the runner attempting to steal second.
However, after allowing a single to Lee Seon-woo, Kim Seo-hyeon gave up a two-base hit that hit the right field monster wall to Kim Min-seok, putting him in a crisis with runners on second and third. Even with the tying run in scoring position, Kim Seo-hyeon did not falter. He struck out Jeong Soo-bin on a swing and then turned around to strike out Oh Myeong-jin as well, preserving a narrow one-run lead in a dramatic finish. He achieved his 18th save of the season with 1⅓ innings, allowing 3 hits and 2 strikeouts with no earned runs.
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