The defending champion KIA Tigers are having a rough start to the season. They self-destructed with four consecutive walks and a hit-by-pitch, allowing a whopping five consecutive free passes. They are on a three-game losing streak, showing a level of baseball unworthy of a championship team.

KIA lost 2-7 in a come-from-behind game against the Hanwha Eagles in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League, held on the 28th at Daejeon Hanwha Life Allianz Field. It looked like they had seized the momentum when Patrick Wisdom hit the first home run at the new stadium to give them a 2-0 lead in the top of the seventh, but once starting pitcher James Neale left the game, the bullpen collapsed.

Neale dominated the Hanwha lineup with a quality start, pitching six innings, allowing three hits, two walks, striking out five, and not allowing any runs. He used a two-seam fastball with a top speed of 151 km/h and an average of 148 km/h, mixing in sweeper pitches and changeups, but KIA's bullpen couldn't hold the lead for even one inning.

With the start of the seventh inning, KIA brought in their late-inning specialist, Jeon Sang-hyun. He recorded the first out by inducing a ground ball from No Si-hwan, but things began to go awry when a hard-hit ball struck his foot. After recording a strikeout against Chae Eun-sung, Jeon let a solo home run from Kim Tae-yeon slip through, breaking Hanwha's scoring silence.

Up until this point, things were manageable, but Jeon Sang-hyun issued a walk to the next batter, Lim Jong-chan, putting the tying run on base. After allowing a stolen base to pinch runner Lee Won-seok, Jeon issued another walk to pinch hitter Lee Jin-young. With two outs and runners on first and second, KIA sent in left-handed pitcher Kwak Do-kyu.

However, Kwak Do-kyu allowed a walk to Moon Hyun-bin after a full count. He then issued another walk to Hwang Young-mook on the fifth pitch, resulting in a forcing run. It was now 2-2. This was the moment Neale's chance for his first win of the season slipped away. Kwak Do-kyu, with shaky control of his two-seam fastball, also hit Choi In-ho with a pitch during a continued two-out, bases loaded situation. The two-seam fastball grazed In-ho’s left elbow guard, giving Hanwha a 3-2 lead. Ultimately, Kwak Do-kyu left the game without recording an out, giving up two walks and one hit-by-pitch while allowing the game to slip away with five consecutive free passes.

KIA made a pitching change to left-hander Lee Jun-young, but Esteban Florial's misaligned hit turned into a double down the left field line. With Hanwha now leading 5-2, the momentum had completely shifted in their favor. In the eighth inning, Lee Hyung-beom came in, but defensive errors compounded the situation, leading to two more runs allowed. The missed play by shortstop Kim Kyu-sung on Lee Jin-young's line drive with two outs and a runner on second was particularly painful. This was a critical misplay that left KIA reeling.

From the very first week of the season, KIA faced setbacks as key players like third baseman Kim Do-young and shortstop Park Chan-ho suffered consecutive injuries. While their offensive firepower, which was their greatest strength, has diminished, the shaky bullpen has become an even more serious issue. Although only six games have been played since the opener, their relief pitching has an average earned run average of 9.39, the highest among the ten teams.

The previous day (27th), in a game against Kiwoom in Gwangju, KIA's closer Jeong Hae-young allowed two walks to load the bases, then gave up two runs, resulting in a blown save and a 3-5 defeat. They suffered a shocking defeat due to consecutive bullpen struggles over the last two games. Kwak Do-kyu, a key player from last year’s championship team, has also struggled this season, appearing in four games with 1⅓ innings pitched, four walks, and two hit-by-pitches, starting with a high earned run average of 27.00.

With three consecutive losses, KIA is off to a poor start with a record of 2 wins and 4 losses in the first six games, uncharacteristic of a championship team. Urgently needing to snap the losing streak, KIA will start native ace Yang Hyun-jong against Hanwha on the 29th. For Hanwha, Ryan Weiss is slated to start.

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