'Perfect until the 4th inning → 5th ball ball → 4 runs' Hanwha Hernandez is still a 'Phone-Wa replacement' despite the 154km snake's direct pitch... [the site of a war]

*This content was translated by AI.

There was no choice but to cheer for Cody Ponce (Toronto Blue Jays) and Ryan Weiss (Houston Astros) to advance to the Major League, but a deep bitterness remained on one side. The opening pitch of the Hanwha Eagles' new foreign pitcher Wilkel Hernandez (27) who had to fill the spot coexisted with hope and regret.

Hernandez started the 2026 KBO Shinhan SOL KBO League home game against the Kiwoom Heroes at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the 28th and threw 94 pitches in four ⅔ innings, allowing four hits, four strikeouts, and four runs (three earned runs).

Last year, Hanwha was able to play in the Korean Series for the first time in 19 years because Ponce and Weiss, who played as the league's best one-two punch, took the largest stake. Ponce won the MVP of the season by winning four pitchers, and Weiss also joined as a temporary substitute for six weeks in 2024, eventually renewing his contract and performing well.

Both headed to Major League Baseball after the end of the season. Although it has been a glorious year, concerns have grown over whether it will be able to maintain continuity.

In the meantime, Hernandez was recruited. He was a pitcher who sprayed sinker-like fastballs with a maximum speed of 156 kilometers per hour and was evaluated as having high-quality sliders and changeups.

In the exhibition game, he played five innings in two consecutive games, and he pitched scoreless in the first game against the Doosan Bears, but in the game against the Lotte Giants, he allowed five runs even after striking out seven, increasing anxiety.

Still, coach Kim Kyung-moon showed faith in Hernandez. He took the mound as a starting pitcher in his first home opener in 18 years. He was impeccable until the fourth inning.

He started the first inning by striking out Lee Joo-hyung with a fast two-seam fastball. Ahn Chi-hong, who played for Hanwha until last year, had a double, but he turned his follow-up hitters into miscues to finish the first inning safely.

At the bottom of the first inning, hitters immediately started to support scoring. After rookie Oh Jae-won grounded out to shortstop, Peraza got on base with a hit that fell in front of center field, and Moon Hyun-bin swung the bat from the first pitch and hit a large double against the right-center fence, and later scored the first run with an opposing pitcher's wild pitch.

In the second inning, he ended the inning with three outs, including two strikeouts. He allowed his first walk of the day in the third inning, but the other hitters neatly returned it with a mistake. Even after allowing a hit to the first batter in the fourth inning, he induced a double play and finished it in three batters.

In particular, the power of determination was outstanding. Tu Shim, who recorded a maximum speed of 154 kilometers per hour, wriggled back and forth on the borderline, misleading the eyes of Kiwoom hitters.

The problem was the fifth episode. Hernandez, who threw 68 pitches and took the mound, got a hit by Kim Gun-hee, the first batter, and later allowed a straight walk to Lim Ji-yeol. With one out and runners on the first and second bases, Lee Hyung-jong was once again walked to get on base. He gave up two walks against the lower batting line, causing a bases-loaded crisis on his own.

Hernandez, who calmly sprayed the ball to first base even after losing his balance when Lee Joo-hyung grounded out to the pitcher, then gave up a walk once again to An Chi-hong. Trenton Brooks' missed ball fell in front of center field, but Oh Jae-won couldn't catch it at once, so he dug home to the first baseman and eventually allowed the turnaround.

The Hanwha bench moved. He turned the ball over to Cho Dong-wook and stepped down. There were no additional runs, but he withdrew from the mound in a situation where he failed to meet the winning requirements and could eventually lose.

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*This content was translated by AI.