Han Dong-hee, who is playing for Sangmu, regained the top spot in batting in just one day.
On the 27th, Han Dong-hee started as the third baseman in a game against the NC Dinos in the 2025 Futures League held at Masan Stadium, recording 2 hits out of 3 at-bats, 1 walk, and 1 hit by pitch. Regaining first place in batting, he also ranked first in five institutional sectors.
Han Dong-hee got on base by selecting a straight walk against NC's starting pitcher Shin Young-woo with one out and one runner on first base in the first inning. Later, Lee Jae-won was hit by a pitch, creating a one-out, bases loaded opportunity, but Yoon Jun-ho and Jung Eun-won struck out in succession, missing the chance to score.
Han Dong-hee got on base with a hit by pitch in his second at-bat after one out in the third inning against Shin Young-woo. He was hit in the side by a fastball (146 km/h).
Sangmu created a bases loaded opportunity after two outs in the fourth inning with a walk by Kim Hyun-jun, a double to left by Jung Dae-sun, and a hit by pitch by Ryu Seung-min. Ryu Hyun-in drew a bases loaded walk to score the first run. Han Dong-hee came to bat with two outs and the bases loaded, but the runner at second base was tagged out by a pick-off attempt, wasting the scoring chance.
Leading off in the fifth inning, Han Dong-hee was out on a fly ball to right field. In the seventh inning, when the game was tied 1-1 and Ryu Hyun-in reached base on a walk, Han Dong-hee hit a single to center, creating a no-out one and two base opportunity. Lee Jae-won walked, loading the bases with no outs. Later, with two outs and the bases loaded, Kim Jae-sang hit a two-RBI single, and Kim Hyun-jun hit a three-run homer, extending the lead to 6-1.
In the eighth inning, Han Dong-hee reached base with a double into the right-center field after one out. The following batters were retired, and the scoring opportunity was wasted.
Sangmu was chased to 6-5 in the eighth inning after a three-run homer by NC's Han Seok-hyun, but in the ninth inning, Jung Eun-won's double to the right and Kim Jae-sang's timely single led to a 7-5 victory. Sangmu extended its winning streak to 17 games, setting a new record for the most consecutive wins in the Futures League.
Han Dong-hee went silent with no hits in four at-bats in a game against the KIA Tigers on the 26th, ceding the top spot in batting to his teammate Ryu Hyun-in and falling to second place. However, on this day, with 2 hits in 3 at-bats, he raised his batting average to .432, while Ryu Hyun-in, with no hits in 3 at-bats and 2 walks, ended up with a batting average of .427.
Since the systematic establishment of the Futures League records in 2010, there have only been three cases where the batting champion recorded an average over .400. They are Kim Jeong-hyeok from Samsung in 2011 (.418), Kim Tae-jin from NC in 2015 (.402), and Hong Chang-ki from the Police in 2017 (.401).
There is also interest in whether Han Dong-hee can break the all-time record of .418. Han Dong-hee has maintained an average above .429 for over 20 days since recording .429 on the 7th.
In addition to his batting average, Han Dong-hee is also ranked first in home runs (21), RBIs (70), runs scored (75), and hits (102). Han Dong-hee will be discharged from Sangmu in December and return to the Lotte Giants.
[OSEN]