Professional baseball team Hanwha Eagles thrilled their fans in Daejeon with back-to-back come-from-behind victories.
Hanwha decorated their home game against the KIA Tigers in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League at Daejeon Hanwha Life Eagles Park on the 29th with a 5-4 comeback victory. In the bottom of the eighth, pinch-hitter Ahn Chi-hong turned his first hit of the season into a game-winning two-run single. Hanwha's new closer Kim Seo-hyun recorded the first save at Daejeon Shin-Ku Stadium in the ninth.
After securing a 7-2 comeback victory the previous day (28th) in their first game at the Shin-Ku Stadium, Hanwha achieved two consecutive turnovers and rebounded with two wins following a four-game losing streak. Their season record stands at 3 wins and 4 losses. Meanwhile, KIA, having fallen into a four-game losing streak, holds a record of 2 wins and 5 losses.
The early part of the game was in KIA's favor. They took the initiative with back-to-back home runs from the first inning. After a walk by Na Sung-bum against Hanwha starter Ryan Weiss with two outs, Choi Hyung-woo hit a two-run homer to right-center field. Weiss's fifth pitch was a high curveball at 127 km/h, which was hit for a 120-meter home run. This was his second home run of the season.
The very next batter, Patrick Wisdom, also hit a home run. He pulled Weiss's second pitch, a high fastball at 153 km/h, over the left-field fence for a 120-meter home run, marking his third of the season. Following his first home run at Daejeon Shin-Ku Stadium the previous day (28th), he enjoyed another home run.
In the top of the third, KIA added a run. With a hit to right field by Choi Hyung-woo and walks by Wisdom and Lee Woo-sung, KIA had the bases loaded with one out, and Han Jun-soo hit a sacrifice fly to left field, extending their lead to 4-0.
However, Hanwha also retaliated in the bottom of the third. They narrowed the gap by two runs against KIA starter Yang Hyun-jong. Leadoff hitter Choi Jae-hun reached base with a hit to left-center, and Shim Woo-jun bunted between the pitcher and first baseman. Yang Hyun-jong's throw to first base went awry, giving Hanwha a one-out, two-on scoring opportunity. Hwang Young-mook followed with a one-run double to left, and Kim Tae-yeon added another with a ground ball to second.
With a walk by Noh Si-hwan, the scoring continued with two outs and runners on first and third, where Chae Eun-seong hit a double to left field. However, the ball got stuck under the left-field fence, resulting in a ground rule double. If the ball hadn’t been stuck, the runner on first, Noh Si-hwan, could have scored, but because of the ground rule double, he was held at third. With two outs and runners on second and third, Lee Jin-young made a foul fly out to first base, leaving Hanwha satisfied with a 3-4 deficit.
However, in the bottom of the eighth, Hanwha seized the opportunity for a comeback. Against KIA's reliable pitcher Jo Sang-woo, leadoff batter Chae Eun-seong hit a single to left, and pinch-hitter Moon Hyun-bin's misdirected hit dropped in front of the left fielder for another single. Next, the pinch-hitter Lee Do-yoon troubled Jo Sang-woo with a nine-pitch at-bat. On the fourth pitch, the catcher Han Jun-su made a throwing error, leading to a no-out situation with runners on second and third, as Lee Do-yoon hit a ground ball to shortstop. While third base runner Lim Jong-chan was caught in a rundown, Lee Do-yoon advanced to second, maintaining a one-out, two-on scoring chance.
Here, Hanwha manager Kim Kyung-moon pulled out his top pinch-hitting card. He sent in Ahn Chi-hong, who had been excluded from the starting lineup due to stomach pains. Although KIA replaced Jo Sang-woo with Hwang Dong-ha, it did not succeed. Ahn Chi-hong, who had missed on the first pitch fastball from Hwang Dong-ha, did not miss a center fastball on the second pitch and turned it into a two-run single that fell in front of the left fielder. Ahn Chi-hong's first hit of the season after going 0-for-9 in his first three games came as a pinch-hit two-run single.
Hanwha completed the comeback with closer Kim Seo-hyun maintaining the one-run lead in the ninth. Kim Seo-hyun recorded his first save of the season and the first save at Daejeon Shin-Ku Stadium. Kim Jong-soo pitched 1⅔ innings with no hits, two walks, and no runs allowed, earning the win. Following the starting pitcher Weiss, who recorded 6 hits allowed (2 home runs), 3 walks, 7 strikeouts, and 4 runs in 5 innings, rookie Kwon Min-gyu, who came in as the second pitcher, also threw 1⅓ innings with one walk, one strikeout, and no runs allowed, setting the stage for the victory.
KIA suffered a turnaround loss for the third consecutive game due to bullpen struggles after the seventh inning. Starter Yang Hyun-jong recorded a quality start with 6 innings, 6 hits allowed, 3 walks, 1 hit batter, 5 strikeouts, and 3 runs (1 earned), achieving his first win of the season and his 180th career victory requirements, but due to bullpen struggles, he could not secure the next victory. Jo Sang-woo took his first loss of the season, allowing 2 earned runs in ⅔ of an inning.
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