Rookie pitcher Kang Geon-woo of the professional baseball team Hanwha Eagles will make his first start.
Hanwha, led by manager Kim Kyung-moon, will play an away game against the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League Kia Tigers at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on the 5th. After suffering a shocking 6-7 walk-off loss to the Samsung Lions on the 3rd, Hanwha has fallen to ninth place with a season record of 12-18.
Amid the crisis of falling to last place, Hanwha will start left-handed rookie Kang Geon-woo on the 5th. A graduate of Cheonan Bukil High School and signed by Hanwha as the 13th overall pick in the second round of the 2026 rookie draft, rookie Kang Geon-woo has appeared in five games this season only as a reliever, posting a 4.50 earned run average. This will be his first start.
Hanwha's starting rotation is currently badly disrupted by successive injury absences. Ryu Hyun-jin has already been removed from the first-team roster once to rest, and the only pitcher who has not missed a turn and has been working through the starting rotation is Asia quota Wang Yen-cheng.
Owen White, who left the first outing with a hamstring injury, is still in the stage of regaining his condition, and Jack Cushing, signed as White's six-week replacement foreign player, has moved to closer to stop the bullpen gap and is doing the dirty work.
Hernandez, who collapsed for 7 runs in 1/3 inning in the April 15 game against Samsung but pitched well with 6 scoreless innings on the 19th at Sajik against Lotte and 7 innings with 1 run on the 25th at Daejeon against Lotte, felt elbow pain and was removed while pitching 5 scoreless innings in the April 1 game against Samsung in Daegu. The next day he was diagnosed with inflammation and was removed from the first-team roster.
In this situation, Moon Dong-ju also left. Moon Dong-ju started as the starter on the 2nd when Hernandez was removed, but after 2/3 innings with one hit, one strikeout and one run, he complained of shoulder discomfort and was replaced. After detailed examinations at two hospitals, he received an opinion that surgery is necessary due to a tear of the right shoulder labrum. Kim Kyung-moon announced Jeong Woo-joo's conversion to the starting rotation, and Kang Geon-woo was announced first as the starter for the 5th.
It is an opportunity for Kang Geon-woo as well. However, since Hanwha's starting rotation is not operating properly, there is some pressure. As it is his first game, the bullpen must be conserved as much as possible. Kang Geon-woo has experience pitching longer. Kang Geon-woo threw 3 2/3 innings and allowed two runs in the KT game on the 2nd of last month, throwing 72 pitches that day. He also showed a good performance on the 15th at Daejeon against Samsung, throwing 55 pitches over 3 1/3 innings and allowing two runs (one earned).
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