The Eagles' starting lineup has seen the absence of starting second baseman Ahn Chi-hong. What could be the story behind this?
Hanwha Eagles manager Kim Kyung-moon met with reporters on the 23rd, ahead of the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League second game of the season against the KT Wiz at Suwon KT Wiz Park, to announce the news of Ahn Chi-hong's exclusion from the starting lineup.
This year, Ahn Chi-hong was set to be the starting second baseman for Hanwha and had appeared as the starting second baseman in the opening game the previous day, batting sixth and recording 0 hits in 3 at-bats with 1 strikeout. While a smooth start was expected for him again that day, manager Kim Kyung-moon opted to exclude him from the starting lineup.
During the meeting, manager Kim Kyung-moon explained, "Today, Ahn Chi-hong is feeling a bit of abdominal pain, so he will wait behind instead of starting. If a timing arises for a pinch hitter later, I am considering sending him out once."
With Ahn Chi-hong's exclusion, Hanwha arranged its starting lineup to include Kim Tae-yeon (left fielder), Moon Hyun-bin (designated hitter), Esteban Florial (center fielder), Noh Si-hwan (third baseman), Chae Eun-sung (first baseman), Hwang Young-muk (second baseman), Lim Jong-chan (right fielder), Choi Jae-hoon (catcher), and Shim Woo-jun (shortstop). Hwang Young-muk, who was the hero of the game-tying double in the 7th inning the previous day and is writing a success story in the independent league, replaces Ahn Chi-hong.
The manager praised Shim Woo-jun, who had an outstanding performance the previous day with 1 hit, 1 RBI, 1 run, 1 walk, and 1 stolen base in 3 at-bats, including the game-winning hit. Kim Kyung-moon stated, "He played the first game well. The victory the previous day counts as the same 1 win, but for a manager, it feels like 1.5 wins since it was the opening game. I’m sure (Shim) Woo-jun wanted to perform even better in front of the fans in a regular game, and he did well to hit the game-winning hit and got off to a great start. I feel very good about it."
The starting pitcher for the second game of the opening two-game series is second starter Ryan Weiss. Weiss, who signed a contract with Hanwha for up to $950,000 after a successful foreign player season where he recorded 5 wins and 5 losses with a 3.73 earned run average in 16 games last year, performed outstandingly in the demonstration games with 2 wins and no losses, and an earned run average of 0.93. He faced KT once last year, pitching 6 innings with 3 earned runs and a no decision.
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