The Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Professional Baseball League, driven by the strong performance of ace Cody Ponce, broke a three-game losing streak and solidified their position at the top. Manager Kim Kyung-moon recorded his 100th career win with Hanwha.
Under the leadership of Manager Kim Kyung-moon, Hanwha won their home game against the Samsung Lions in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League on the 30th at the Daejeon Hanwha Life Eagles Park, with a score of 5-0.
Starting pitcher Ponce earned his 13th win of the season, pitching 6 innings with 6 hits, 1 walk, and 8 strikeouts, not allowing any earned runs. This year, when Hanwha was on a losing streak, he appeared in 6 games, winning 5, further proving his worth as a streak stopper.
Ponce, who had been on a 13-game winning streak since the season opener, continued his undefeated streak over 21 games and lowered his earned run average from 1.76 to 1.68. He increased his strikeouts to 184, ranking first in wins and striving closer to the pitching triple crown by leading in earned run average and strikeouts.
The batting lineup also showed focus with 3 home runs. Luis Liberato and Roh Si-hwan hit solo home runs in the third inning, followed by Kim Tae-yean's solo home run in the eighth inning. Chae Eun-seong demonstrated his batting strength with 2 hits, including a double.
The win, in front of a full crowd of 17,000 for their 44th home game in Daejeon, continues Hanwha's KBO League record of 33 consecutive sellouts, including away games, as they emerged from a recent three-game losing streak to hold a record of 58 wins, 37 losses, and 3 ties (.611 winning percentage), maintaining a 2-game lead over second-place LG, which won 5-0 against KT at Jamsil.
After the game, Kim Kyung-moon commented, "Ponce had been pitching well but lacked luck in wins, but today he showcased an ace's performance and I want to congratulate him on bringing home the victory," and noted, "The players who need to play a central role in the lineup showed great hitting.
This victory was particularly meaningful for Manager Kim Kyung-moon. Since taking the helm of Hanwha on June 3 last year, Kim has led the team to a record of 100 wins, 81 losses, and 4 ties over 185 games as he continues to hold the managerial position. After the game, in the manager's office, with the coaching staff celebrating, Hanwha CEO Park Jong-tae presented a congratulatory bouquet, and captain Chae Eun-seong handed the game ball from the 100th win to Manager Kim.
Manager Kim Kyung-moon expressed, "As I focused on each game, I never thought about the 100 wins. I thank Chairman Kim Seung-yeon for giving me this opportunity. It’s a result achieved because all the coaches, players, and staff have worked hard and done their best. I am grateful to everyone."
Manager Kim Kyung-moon has a total of 996 wins when including his time with Doosan and NC. He is just 4 wins away from becoming the third manager in KBO history to reach 1,000 career wins.
Meanwhile, Hanwha will send Ryan Weiss as the starting pitcher against Samsung on the 31st, aiming for a winning series. Samsung will start left-hander Lee Seung-min.
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