'ERA 9.00' Kim Seo-hyun sent to 2nd division, no early return: "We have enough players as they are," Manager Dal asserts [Daejeon field]

*This content was translated by AI.

"We have enough players as they are. There is no need to rush."

Kim Kyung-moon (68), manager of the Hanwha Eagles, does not feel anxious about the absence of Kim Seo-hyun (22, Hanwha Eagles). He hopes to give him sufficient time so that he can return completely transformed.

On the 27th, Hanwha removed Kim Seo-hyun from the first-division roster. To replace him, they selected pitcher Won Jong-hyuk (21) and called him up for the day's game.

Ahead of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League home game against the SSG Landers at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark on the 28th, Manager Kim Kyung-moon met with reporters and explained, "By now, he should have shown the ability to hold batters back based on last year's experience. He needs to do it either with power or control, but he is currently issuing many walks and hit-by-pitches on the mound. Since that scene isn't appearing at the timing when the team needs him most, we decided to give him some time away to prepare again."

Noh Si-hwan, who had failed to regain his batting form, was also notified to go to the second division but was re-registered to the first division immediately after completing ten days. However, Kim Seo-hyun appears to be different.

Manager Kim stated firmly, "We have enough players as they are. There is no need to rush." It is expected that he will return to the first division once he has participated in the Futures League, sorted out his pitching mechanics, and it is judged that he has regained his form from last year. Although it may take a considerable amount of time, this means he will not be rushed.

Excluding Kim Seo-hyun, the bullpen ERA has dropped to 6.35, and the team has moved up one spot to ninth place, but it cannot be considered sufficient as Manager Kim claims. It is true that there is hope that the bullpen will gain more strength if Jack Cushing, who is serving as the interim closer, along with Kim Jong-soo, Jo Dong-wook, and Lee Min-woo, continue to show impressive performances, and if Jung Woo-ju also revives.

Although he entered the professional league as the overall first pick, he struggled for about a year and a half. However, after the appointment of Manager Kim Kyung-moon and Coach Yang Sang-moon during the 2024 season, he regained his confidence and transformed into one of the league's top closers. In particular, last year he recorded an impressive 33 saves, ranking second in the league in that category. Therefore, his poor performance this season is even more painful.

In 11 games this season, he pitched 8 innings with 1 win, 2 losses, 1 save, and an ERA of 9.00. In particular, during the game against the Samsung Lions on the 14th, he allowed seven walks in a save situation and became the losing pitcher. Although he seemed to find stability afterward, he gave up a two-run home run in the game against the NC Dinos on the 26th and became the losing pitcher again, eventually receiving notification to go to the second division.

Despite possessing overwhelming stuff, his inability to engage in aggressive battles with batters is the biggest problem. His batting average against is 0.233, the same as Ryu Hyun-jin, but he threw as many as 189 pitches over 8 innings. His pitches per inning reached 23.6. He issued 14 walks, amounting to 15.75 per 9 innings. His walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) is 2.63, meaning he typically faces two or more baserunners on average before the outcome is decided. This clearly shows how Kim Seo-hyun is engaging with batters.

Regaining confidence is the top priority. Additionally, controlling his command is a major variable in determining how quickly Kim Seo-hyun can return to the first division.

To replace Kim Seo-hyun, Won Jong-hyuk was called up from the second division. Won Jong-hyuk, who joined Hanwha as the 81st pick in the 9th round of the 2024 rookie draft, appeared in 3 games this season and secured a victory in the opening game. This was also Won Jong-hyuk's first career win.

After pitching in 3 games, Won Jong-hyuk went to the second division, where he pitched 8 1/3 innings in 9 games with 1 win and an ERA of 1.08, delivering outstanding pitching. His batting average against was only 0.200.

Manager Kim said, "He has experience in the first division once and has also secured a win. It seems that his experience in the first division, recommended while he was in the second division, is helping him a lot in his pitching. That is why we called him up now." He added, "There is a big difference in confidence among players. Once they find it, there is a big difference. He is a pitcher whose advantage is that he has a fast ball," expressing his expectations.

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*This content was translated by AI.