Hanwha Eagles faced a setback with a loss to a Japanese corporate team at the end of their spring camp. In response, manager Kim Kyung-moon personally apologized to the fans, but captain Chae Eun-sung had a different perspective. He firmly expressed his intention to acknowledge the defeat cleanly and use it as an opportunity for a turnaround.

The captain of the Hanwha Eagles, Chae Eun-sung, completed the second spring camp in Okinawa, Japan, and returned with the team through Incheon International Airport on the 4th.

Meeting at the airport, Chae Eun-sung said, "I’m glad to have finished the camp without any major accidents or injuries. If the first camp was enjoyable and focused on practice, the second camp had a serious atmosphere as we played actual games. As the season is approaching, the atmosphere of the first and second camps was different."

Having a smooth run, Hanwha faced proper vaccinations at the end of their second spring camp. On March 1, they bowed their heads to the Japanese corporate team Okinawa Electric Power with a score of 3-9, then suffered a crushing defeat of 0-10 against the SSG Landers on the 2nd. The struggling performance of ace Ryu Hyun-jin, who gave up 7 runs (4 earned) in 2⅓ innings, was painful. In this regard, manager Kim Kyung-moon bowed his head, stating through the club, "Although we showed somewhat disappointing results to the fans in the last two camp games, we will make it an opportunity for the coaching staff and players to prepare more firmly."

Manager Kim Kyung-moon did not stop there and met with reporters at the airport on the 4th, saying, "Our Hanwha fans watch a lot of the games. A disappointing game is a disappointing game. Because of that game, the players need to prepare well until the opening game, and they must become even stronger. I will do the same. I will use the remaining time to prepare better."

Chae Eun-sung expressed his intention to use this as an opportunity for a turnaround. He stated, "These are clearly things that can happen during the season. Ideally, I want to achieve 100 wins or 200 wins, but baseball does not work that way. It's a sport where the last place can beat the first place," adding, "We did well for most of the time, but the last two games were not good, which reminded us of what we need to do. It feels like we were hit first. In fact, it seems like it worked out better for us."

Another reason Chae Eun-sung bears greater responsibility this season is that this year marks the initial year of the Shin and New Era in Daejeon. Hanwha will leave behind the Hanwha Life Eagles Park, which they have become fond of, and will play at the state-of-the-art Hanwha Life Ballpark, starting with an exhibition game against the Samsung Lions on the 17th.

Chae Eun-sung expressed his excitement, saying, "I am looking forward to it. We are heading to the new stadium today already." He added, "In a way, it's a blessing. The fact that we can play as players in a good facility is significant. I've never seen the new stadium before, so I'm looking forward to it very much."

There is nothing happier than reaching the postseason in the first year at the new stadium. The Hanwha captain, Chae Eun-sung, who is aiming for the postseason for the first time in seven years since 2018, opened by saying, "We prepared hard, but we will have to see once the lid is opened. Baseball is unpredictable. Just because we ranked first in the exhibition games does not mean we will rank first in the season. We will do our best, and I believe the results are already in the hands of the heavens. If we do our best under the given circumstances, I think we will achieve good results."

Along with Chae Eun-sung, the veterans of Hanwha headed to the winter sea in Taean, Chungcheongnam-do, as a group to carry out their promise after failing to enter the top five last year on December 5. Hanwha began the season strong with 8 wins and 2 losses in the first ten games, but fell shortly after April, leading to a coaching change for the second consecutive year, finishing in 8th place (66 wins, 2 draws, 76 losses) and missing the postseason invitation.

When asked what kind of promise for the top five they had prepared this year, Chae Eun-sung replied, "Honestly, we could do the sea plunge anytime, but I want to refrain from making promises based on negative outcomes. I don't want to presume failure at all." He revealed his strong will toward qualifying for the postseason.

Hanwha will begin its final preparations with an exhibition game against the Doosan Bears on the 8th at Cheongju Stadium.

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