"Who says that? You're already drinking kimchi soup."
Hanwha finished the first half in first place with a six-game winning streak. In the final game of the first half on 10th against KIA in Daejeon, Hanwha achieved a comeback victory of 3-2 with a walk-off hit from Moon Hyun-bin, ending with a record of 52 wins, 33 losses, and 2 ties (winning percentage .612), extending a 4.5-game lead over second-place LG (48 wins, 38 losses, and 2 ties, winning percentage .558) while preparing for a solo run at first place.
After confirming first place in the first half for the first time in 33 years since the Binggrae era in 1992, Hanwha, which also reached 50 wins first, significantly increased its chances of winning. Excluding the pre- and post-season leagues and in the current single league system, the postseason advancement probability for the team that reaches 50 wins first is 100% (35/35), with a regular season championship probability of 71.4% (25/35) and a Korean Series championship probability of 60.0% (21/35).
A 4.5-game difference between 1st and 2nd place is not easily overturnable. Teams that finished first in the first half for the last five consecutive years from 2020 to last year won both the regular season and the Korean Series. In the last five years, the winning gap between 1st and 2nd was the largest this year between Hanwha and LG, following the 5 games between NC and Kiwoom in 2020. The 4.5 games between SSG and Kiwoom in 2022, 2 games between KT and LG in 2021, 2.5 games between LG and SSG in 2023, and 3.5 games from last year between KIA and LG were not overturned in the second half.
Hanwha's direct advancement to the Korean Series seems highly probable in various ways. Moon Hyun-bin, the protagonist of the walk-off hit in the final game of the first half, also noted, "I'm not thinking about fall baseball. My goal is definitely to reach the Korean Series. I can't imagine anything else but playing in the Korean Series. All I want is to go to the Korean Series and win."
However, captain Chae Eun-seong did not loosen his grip on tension. In response to stories of players aiming for the Korean Series, Chae Eun-seong laughed and said, "Who says that? You're already drinking kimchi soup." He added, "I don't dislike (Moon) Hyun-bin. I like Hyun-bin, but I haven't been to the Korean Series either. Things don't always go as we wish. I think it's not that time yet. I've been telling the players, 'It's not the time to get ahead of ourselves.'"
Kim Kyung-moon, the Hanwha coach, praised, "The team keeps winning, but the veteran players are keeping the atmosphere grounded so they don't get too excited." Although the team morale is at its peak as the first half leader, they are trying to be more cautious.
It's true that Hanwha has gained an advantageous position, but there are still 57 games left in the second half, and no one knows what will happen. In 2019, SK finished the first half in overwhelming first place, 6.5 games ahead of second-place Kiwoom, but ended up giving the first place spot to Doosan in the final game of the season, falling to second place.
SK finished the second half with a .500 winning percentage of 24 wins and 24 losses, but Doosan made a big comeback with 31 wins, 15 losses, and 1 tie (winning percentage .674). Doosan's momentum was significant, trailing first-place SK by a whopping 8 games at the end of the first half. As a result, SK was swept by Kiwoom in the playoffs with three straight losses, leading to the cancellation of their Korean Series appearance.
Chae Eun-seong stated, "The ultimate goal is naturally first place, but we came here aiming for fall baseball. If we approach it with that mindset, we can achieve the best possible results," and added, "I think results will emerge within the first 30 games of the second half. This is the moment where we must give our all, so I hope the players rest well during the All-Star break and manage their stamina."
Coach Kim Kyung-moon also said, "To be honest, I didn't think we would be in first place. We ended up in first place unexpectedly, and I think it's because we haven't had many injuries among the key players. Luck has also been on our side, but we need to avoid major injuries in the second half. Worrying doesn't change anything, but I want to finish well without injuries,” and noted, “Since there are only a few games left, teams below us will focus more. No team is easy to face."
As Chae Eun-seong mentioned, if they maintain the current gap in the first 30 games of the second half, they can solidify their first place. If Hanwha records 29 wins and 28 losses in the remaining 57 games of the second half, their final record would be 81 wins, 61 losses, and 2 ties (winning percentage .570). In this scenario, second-place LG would need to attain 33 wins and 23 losses (winning percentage .589), third-place Lotte 34 wins and 21 losses (winning percentage .574), and fourth-place KIA 36 wins and 20 losses (winning percentage .642) to tie or surpass.
If Hanwha does not collapse on its own, maintaining first place will not be difficult. With its strong pitching and stable defense, Hanwha is not an easily diminished force. However, the unforeseen risk of injuries could arise at any moment. The fatigue of needing to maintain first place cannot be ignored either. Catcher Choi Jae-hun commented, "When we were below, the difference felt immense, but now that we are in first place, it seems like there's no difference. (Mentally) it makes things harder, and that's why the pressure of maintaining first place in the season's second half is increasing." This is why they cannot relax their tension until the very end.
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