Pro baseball Hanwha Eagles player Kang Baek-ho hit his first home run in front of home fans wearing a Hanwha Eagles uniform. It was a refreshing homer that cleared the monster wall.
Kang Baek-ho started as the No. 3 designated hitter in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League exhibition game against the Samsung Lions at Daejeon Hanwha Life Insurance Ballpark on the 13th and recorded 3 at-bats, 1 home run, 1 RBI and 1 run scored with the go-ahead home run. Hanwha took a 3-2 victory led by Kang Baek-ho's long ball.
Kang Baek-ho, leading off the top of the sixth with Hanwha and Samsung tied 2-2, faced Samsung's third pitcher, right-hander Lee Seung-hyun, and engaged in a gritty full-count battle that went to an eighth pitch. Kang Baek-ho connected with Lee Seung-hyun's eighth pitch 145 km/h fastball and produced a big home run that cleared the monster wall. It was Kang Baek-ho's first home run since the transfer and his first time clearing the monster wall.
After the game, Kang Baek-ho said he was very pleased, saying, "My condition is so good now. I was getting a lot of well-timed hits and was thinking, 'Why are they coming off so well,' and I'm satisfied that it showed in the result." Kang Baek-ho, who had shown confidence in his hitting condition since the camp in Okinawa, Japan, added, "I definitely have confidence on the hitting side and I'm doing it with satisfaction."
Regarding batting strategy after Moon Hyun-bin and Roh Si-hwan, who are currently with the national team for the World Baseball Classic, join, he predicted, "That makes the team stronger, and because there are hitters behind me and everyone is strong, I think the approach in the batter's box will be the same."
Even though these are still exhibition games, he is feeling the intense support of the Daejeon fans. The ballpark drew 11,481 and 12,065 fans for the exhibition games on the 12th and 13th, respectively, filling more than 10,000 spectators on both days.
Kang Baek-ho said, "When I step into the batter's box they cheer 'wow' a lot, so I'm having fun. I heard Hanwha fans are very passionate, and actually I received plenty of love when I was with KT, so I want to feel that Hanwha gives a lot of love as well. I need to make many good plays so that can happen," he said, reaffirming his determination.
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