The Hanwha Eagles reclaimed the top spot after 33 days.
Hanwha won 10-5 against the LG Twins in a game held at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon on the 15th. As a result, Hanwha, which was 0.5 games behind the first-place LG before the game, overtook LG to take the first place.
Ahn Chi-hong of Hanwha achieved two significant milestones, reaching 900 career runs and 2,700 total bases simultaneously. The previous day, during the 14th inning against LG, he got on base with a double after two outs in the bottom of the 11th inning, but was tagged out at home while trying to score, leading to a disappointing draw.
Ahn Chi-hong's batting average is .144, but he was moved up to the second spot in the batting order against LG on the 15th. He had shown decent hitting by hitting two doubles while batting seventh the previous day. On this day, he contributed to the team in the second slot with 2 hits and 2 runs scored in 4 at-bats, achieving multi-hit performances in consecutive games.
Hanwha initiated a comeback in the fourth inning after trailing 0-4. The spark was Ahn Chi-hong, who led off with a hit to left field. After one out, Roh Si-hwan's walk and Chae Eun-seong's single to left field created a bases-loaded opportunity. Ahn Chi-hong scored on Lee Jin-young's sacrifice fly, achieving his 900th career run, marking the 39th occurrence in KBO history.
Subsequently, with two outs and runners on first and third, Lee Do-yoon hit an RBI single to right field, and an errant throw from the LG second baseman allowed runner Chae Eun-seong to score, bringing the score to 4-3. With two outs and a runner on second, Choi Jae-hun's infield single and the second baseman's throwing error allowed the runner on second to score, tying the game at 4-4.
Ahn Chi-hong began the fifth inning, which was tied at 4-4, as the leadoff hitter and got a hit to left field, marking his 2,700th total base. This is the 32nd occurrence in KBO history.
With one out and a runner on first, Ahn Chi-hong sprinted home from first base to score on Roh Si-hwan's double to left field. There was no repeat of the baserunning error from the previous day. Following that, Hanwha's batting lineup exploded, extending the lead to 9-4 and gaining momentum. Ahn Chi-hong was retired in both of his subsequent plate appearances.
After the game, Ahn Chi-hong reflected on achieving two major records, saying, "Honestly, I didn't think about it at all and was in a situation where I couldn't even see the scoreboard."
He continued, "I'm just happy that I'm getting better, and I'm glad to show a good performance in important games. I felt sorry for the team and it has been tough for me, but I want to contribute more to the team and feel more relaxed going forward."
Ahn Chi-hong fell into a severe batting slump early in the season and even suffered wrist pain in early April, leading him to spend some time in the minor leagues. After returning at the end of April, he did not improve significantly, and in early May, he was excluded from the first-team roster again with a batting average of .098.
He returned to the first team on May 28, and his batting has gradually improved in June. He recorded a batting average of .300 (9 hits in 30 at-bats) in June, with a recent 10-game average of .375 (9 hits in 24 at-bats). However, his season average is still .150 (15 hits in 94 at-bats), indicating he has a long way to go.
Ahn Chi-hong stated that winning against LG and reclaiming first place is significant, saying, "It means a lot to win an important game. It seems that our players performed well under pressure and tension, leading to victory."
Ahn Chi-hong also mentioned, "I was conscious of the last baserunning situation yesterday, so I wasn't passive today. I had a hit that was double-like today, but since there was a gap in the score, it wasn't a situation to go for it, so I stopped. Yesterday, the throw was very accurate."
[OSEN]