Ah! 'Kim Seo-hyun's shocking 4 runs allowed' → KIA fans who left the 6th inning at Champions Field returned in the 9th. 'Kim Tae-yeon's 5 hits and Noh Si-hwan's 2 home runs went unnoticed...' Hanwha survives tense winning series against KIA [Gwangju on-site review]

*This content was translated by AI.

Hanwha Eagles completed a three-game away series against KIA Tigers with two wins and one loss, securing a winning series. After losing the first game, they succeeded in winning two consecutive games. However, Kim Seo-hyun, who entered the game in the 9th inning with a large score deficit, struggled and the team sweated it out.

On the 7th, Hanwha defeated KIA 11-8 in an away regular-season game of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League held at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field.

With this win, Hanwha recorded 14 wins and 19 losses, moving into sole 8th place in the league with two consecutive victories. Meanwhile, KIA finished with 15 wins, 1 draw, and 18 losses, recording a winning percentage margin of -3, tying with Doosan Bears (15 wins, 1 draw, 18 losses) for joint 6th place.

On this day, KIA set its starting lineup in the following order: Park Jae-hyun (left fielder), Dale (center fielder), Kim Sun-bin (designated hitter), Kim Do-young (third baseman), Adellin (first baseman), Na Sung-beom (right fielder), Han Seung-yeon (left fielder), Kim Tae-gun (catcher), and Park Min (third baseman). The starting pitcher was Yang Hyeon-jong.

Notably, Kim Ho-ryeong, who had started as the second batter and center fielder on the 5th and 6th, was absent. Kim Ho-ryeong has recorded a batting average of 0.263, 3 home runs, 15 RBIs, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.728 this season. However, he has slumped recently with a batting average of 0.146 over the last 10 games. He has not recorded a hit since the KT game on the 2nd through the Hanwha game on the 6th, and started the game on the bench today.

In response, Hanwha set its starting lineup in the following order: Lee Jin-young (center fielder), Peraza (right fielder), Moon Hyun-bin (left fielder), Kang Baek-ho (designated hitter), Noh Si-hwan (third baseman), Kim Tae-yeon (first baseman), Heo In-seo (catcher), Lee Do-yoon (second baseman), and Sim Woo-jun (shortstop). The starting pitcher was Jung Woo-ju. On this day, Hanwha called up Kim Seo-hyun to the first division.

Ahead of the game, Hanwha manager Kim Kyung-moon, when asked about using Kim Seo-hyun as the closer, said, "He needs to be used comfortably. Since Jack Cushing is currently serving as the closer, we will use him comfortably." Regarding the starter Jung Woo-ju, he explained, "He will throw fewer than 50 pitches. If he pitches well, it will be around three innings; otherwise, we will need to prepare another pitcher from the second inning."

Hanwha took early control in the top of the 2nd inning when leadoff batter Noh Si-hwan hit a solo home run over the fence. It was Noh Si-hwan's 4th home run of the season.

KIA immediately turned the tables in the bottom of the 2nd inning. Leadoff batter Kim Do-young reached base on a walk, and after one out, Na Sung-beom's hit to left-center field allowed Kim Do-young to score from third base. With Han Seung-yeon's walk creating a bases-loaded opportunity with one out, Kim Tae-gun grounded out to the shortstop, making two outs. Subsequently, Park Min drew a bases-loaded walk after a 11-pitch battle. Then, Park Jae-hyun also drew a bases-loaded walk on a straight pitch, giving KIA a 2-1 lead. Jung Woo-ju was then removed from the mound, and Yoon San-heum came in to get Dale on a pitcher's grounder, ending the inning.

Hanwha then succeeded in exploiting Yang Hyeon-jong in the top of the 3rd inning, scoring five runs and completely reversing the momentum of the game. After one out, Moon Hyun-bin's hit, followed by consecutive walks from Kang Baek-ho and Noh Si-hwan, created a bases-loaded opportunity. Kim Tae-yeon's hit to left field, Heo In-seo's two-run double to center field, and Lee Do-yoon's sacrifice fly to right field, taking advantage of a defensive error, extended the lead to 6-2.

Continuing their momentum, Hanwha created another four-run big inning in the 6th, seemingly sealing the game. Leadoff batter Lee Jin-young hit a solo home run over the left-field fence. Following Peraza's double to second base and an infield hit that deflected off the pitcher after one out, Hanwha reached first and third bases. Noh Si-hwan, who had previously hit a home run, then hit a three-run home run over the fence against the reliever Choi Jimin, extending the lead to 10-2. It was Noh Si-hwan's 5th home run of the season.

At that moment, KIA fans began to leave the stadium one by one. However, the game was not over until the final out. The opening salvo came in the bottom of the 7th inning with one out, when Han Seung-yeon hit a solo home run over the left-field fence. The score became 10-3.

In the 8th inning, both teams exchanged one run each. In the top of the 8th, leadoff batter Kang Baek-ho hit a solo home run over the fence, extending the lead to 11-3. In the bottom of the 8th, with two outs and a runner on third, Jung Hyun-chang hit a two-run double to left-center field. The score became 11-4.

In the top of the 9th, Hanwha failed to score, leading into KIA's final offensive opportunity in the bottom of the 9th. The score was still seven runs apart. Hanwha put Kim Seo-hyun on the mound. However, Kim Seo-hyun wavered. He allowed consecutive hit-by-pitches to leadoff batter Park Jung-woo and the following batter Han Seung-yeon. Kim Tae-gun's hit to left field loaded the bases with no outs. Next, Park Min hit a two-run single to center field. This was not the end. Park Jae-hyun, who came up next, was walked on a straight pitch. The score became 11-6.

As Champions Field grew noisy with the cheers of KIA fans, some fans who had left the stadium began to return, showing their tickets. Hanwha no longer left Kim Seo-hyun on the mound. Instead, they brought in closer Cushing.

Cushing induced Kim Kyu-sung to ground out to first base, but during that play, Kim Tae-gun scored from third base, making it 11-7. Then, during Ko Jong-wook's at-bat, a fielding error by the pitcher allowed Park Min to score from third base, making it 11-8, narrowing the gap to three runs. Champions Field became a cauldron of excitement. However, there were no further twists. Cushing struck out Jung Hyun-chang and Adellin consecutively, closing out the game with an 11-8 victory.

Hanwha starter Jung Woo-ju recorded 1⅔ innings, 1 hit allowed, 4 walks, 2 strikeouts, and 2 earned runs (2 earned runs). His total pitch count was 49. Yoon San-heum (2⅓ innings, no hits allowed, 2 strikeouts, scoreless) earned the win. Lee Sang-gyu (3 innings, 1 hit allowed, 1 run, 1 earned run), Kim Do-bin (0 innings, 2 walks, 1 run, 1 earned run), Kwon Min-gyu (1 inning, 1 hit allowed, 1 strikeout, scoreless), and Kim Seo-hyun (0 innings, 2 hits allowed, 3 walks, 4 runs, 3 earned runs) followed, and Cushing (1 inning, no hits allowed, 2 strikeouts, scoreless) recorded the save. In the batting lineup, which hit 19 hits in total, Kim Tae-yeon went 5-for-5 with five hits, Kang Baek-ho had three hits, and Lee Jin-young, Moon Hyun-bin, Noh Si-hwan, and Lee Do-yoon recorded multi-hit games.

KIA starter Yang Hyeon-jong recorded 4⅓ innings, 10 hits allowed, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts, and 6 runs (5 earned runs), taking the loss. His total pitch count was 82. He was followed by Han Jae-seung (1 inning, 3 hits allowed, 3 runs, 3 earned runs), Choi Jimin (⅔ inning, 2 hits allowed, 1 strikeout, 1 run, 1 earned run), Lee Hyung-beom (2 innings, 3 hits allowed, 1 strikeout, 1 run, 1 earned run), and Jo Sang-woo (1 inning, 1 hit allowed, 1 strikeout, scoreless). KIA's batting lineup managed only scattered 5 hits.

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*This content was translated by AI.