'Hanwha's Worst Pitcher' Bae Dong-hyun Suddenly Sent to Minor League, Manager Says "He Tried Too Hard, Move to Minor League Was Already Planned" [Gocheok Field]

*This content was translated by AI.

Kiwoom Heroes' hit product of the season, Bae Dong-hyun (28), has been removed from the first-division roster. Although he delivered his worst performance against his former team, Hanwha Eagles, the move to the minor league was already planned independently of that.

Kiwoom announced on the 13th that Bae Dong-hyun was removed from the first-division roster ahead of their 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League home game against Hanwha Eagles at Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro-gu, Seoul. Along with infielder Lee Ju-hyung and pitchers Kim Dong-gyu and Jung Se-young, Bae was removed. In their place, catcher Kim Dong-heon, infielder Kim Woong-bin, pitcher Kim Yun-ha, and Park Ji-sung were registered.

Manager Seol Jong-jin (53), who met with reporters before the game, explained, "Like Alcantara's rest day last time, we had planned to rest Bae Dong-hyun regardless of the win or loss," and added, "We plan to register him again after the 10th next week."

Bae Dong-hyun, who first wore the Hanwha uniform as a second-round pick in the 2021 rookie draft, later moved to Kiwoom through the second draft last year.

Although Bae Dong-hyun bowed his head after giving up a home run against Hanwha in the season's first game, he underwent a 180-degree transformation afterward. He secured a spot in the rotation, won four consecutive starts as a starter, and rose to a tie for first place in wins.

However, he left a disappointing impression against his former team. He struggled from the first inning, allowing hit-by-pitches and walks, and gave up a bases-loaded home run to Noh Si-hwan, surrendering five runs. He allowed one run in the second inning and two more in the fourth without recording an out, leaving the worst result of the season. His ERA, which had been just 2.34, surged to 4.06, and he fell into a two-game losing streak.

Manager Seol reflected, "His speed and control seemed fine, but I think he may have tried too hard against his former team. Because he was too eager, his control wavered early on, leading to many runs allowed."

However, regardless of the previous day's game result, since this was his first time pitching a full game, they had planned to give him time to rest. Manager Seol stated, "He has been doing well as a starter for a month. If he pitches today, he would have to pitch again this Sunday, which would be too much strain, so we had been thinking for a few weeks to look at the schedule and let him rest for a turn, so he likely knew about it as well."

Kiwoom's starting rotation is gaining stability. Even without Bae Dong-hyun, there is Alcantara, An Woo-jin, Park Jun-hyun, Park Jeong-hoon, and the returning Kenny Rosenberg.

It remains uncertain whether Park Jeong-hoon, who is scheduled to start today, will keep his spot. Manager Seol said, "We may make adjustments after seeing today's game. We don't know how Alcantara or Rosenberg will do. For now, we need to see today's pitching and Rosenberg's performance before finalizing the schedule."

Today, Kiwoom faces Hanwha's starter Will Hernandez. The batting lineup is set as follows: Seo Geon-chang (designated hitter), An Chi-hong (second baseman), Choi Ju-hwan (first baseman), Im Byung-wook (right fielder), Trenton Brooks (left fielder), Park Ju-hong (center fielder), Yang Hyeon-jong (third baseman), Kwon Hyuk-bin (shortstop), and Park Sung-bin (catcher).

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*This content was translated by AI.