'BBBBBBBB' Believed-in ace Ryu Hyun-jin's bid for 200th career win in Korea and the U.S. evaporated due to wildness from the trusted closer... 'Lee Jung-hoon's game-winning hit' KT escapes three-game losing streak by defeating Hanwha [Suwon Field Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

'Korean Monster' Ryu Hyun-jin (39, Hanwha Eagles) saw his historic 200th career win in Korea and the U.S. slip away due to wildness from his trusted closer. KT also faced collapse as closer Park Young-hyun faltered.

On the 17th, KT defeated Hanwha 8-7 in a 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular-season home game held at Suwon KT Wiz Park. With this victory, KT escaped a three-game losing streak and maintained first place with a record of 25 wins, 1 tie, and 16 losses. Meanwhile, Hanwha, whose three-game winning streak was snapped, stopped at 20 wins and 22 losses, just shy of a .500 winning percentage.

The turning point came in the bottom of the 9th inning when Hanwha tied the game at 7-7. KT's leadoff batter Jang Sung-woo reached base on a walk and moved to second base on Kim Sang-soo's sacrifice bunt. Oh Yun-seok hit a hit to center field, loading the bases with runners on first and third. Then pinch-hitter Lee Jung-hoon ended the game with a one-run single to right field.

For Hanwha, it was painful that their trusted closer Yoon San-heum collapsed by issuing three consecutive walks in the bottom of the 7th inning while leading 6-3. Ryu Hyun-jin's bid for 200 career wins in Korea and the U.S. also fell through. Before this game, Ryu Hyun-jin had recorded 121 wins in the KBO League and 78 wins in Major League Baseball, totaling 199 career wins. On this day, he exited after five innings with five hits allowed, one walk, three strikeouts, and two earned runs, meeting the criteria for a win. However, due to the bullpen's collapse, the 200th win was postponed to a future opportunity.

KT's starting pitcher Matt Sauer struggled with five innings, four hits allowed, four walks, six strikeouts, and three earned runs, but was spared a loss thanks to his team's offense. In KT's lineup, Choi Won-jun went 3-for-4 with one walk, one RBI, and two runs scored; Hilliard went 2-for-5 with one home run, two RBIs, and one run; Kim Sang-soo went 2-for-4 with two RBIs; and Kim Hyun-soo went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, one walk, and one run.

In Hanwha's lineup, Moon Hyun-bin went 2-for-5 with one RBI and two runs; Choi Jae-hoon went 2-for-4 with two RBIs; and Lee Jin-young went 2-for-3 with one RBI and one run, but their efforts were overshadowed by the team's loss.

On this day, Hanwha lined up with Noh Si-hwan (third baseman), Yonatan Peraza (right fielder), Moon Hyun-bin (left fielder), Kang Baek-ho (designated hitter), Lee Jin-young (center fielder), Lee Do-yoon (second baseman), Kim Tae-yeon (first baseman), Choi Jae-hoon (catcher), and Sim Woo-jun (shortstop). The starting pitcher was Ryu Hyun-jin.

In response, KT lined up with Choi Won-jun (right fielder), Kim Min-hyuk (left fielder), Kim Hyun-soo (first baseman), Sam Hilliard (center fielder), Jang Sung-woo (designated hitter), Kim Sang-soo (second baseman), Oh Yun-seok (third baseman), Han Seung-taek (catcher), and Lee Kang-min (shortstop). The starting pitcher was Matt Sauer.

Things went wrong from the start. In the bottom of the 1st inning, leadoff batter Choi Won-jun attacked Ryu Hyun-jin's first pitch and hit a double to left-center field. Kim Min-hyuk's sacrifice bunt moved him to third base with one out, and Kim Hyun-soo reached base on a straight walk. Hilliard then hit a one-run single to center field, and Kim Sang-soo hit a one-run single to left field, giving KT a 2-0 lead.

However, as befits a veteran who has seen it all, Hanwha soon found its rhythm. KT tried to score at least one run, but Ryu Hyun-jin would not cooperate. In the top of the 2nd inning, leadoff batter Oh Yun-seok reached base on a hit to right field and advanced to second base on Han Seung-taek's sacrifice bunt. Ryu Hyun-jin ignored this and struck out Lee Kang-min on a swinging strikeout, then retired Choi Won-jun on a fly ball to left field.

Ryu Hyun-jin recorded a three-up, three-down inning in the top of the 3rd. He fielded Kim Min-hyuk's hard-hit ball, retired Kim Hyun-soo on a ground ball to second base, and retired Hilliard on a fly ball to center field. He retired three batters with just nine pitches in the 4th inning. In the 5th, he allowed a hit to Choi Won-jun on a ground ball to center field with two outs, but he held Kim Min-hyuk in check with a looking strikeout.

Meanwhile, Hanwha's batters also found their power. In the top of the 4th inning, leadoff batter Moon Hyun-bin opened the scoring with a double to left field. Kang Baek-ho struck out, but Lee Jin-young hit a one-run single to right field to tie the game.

Kim Tae-yeon attacked Sauer's first pitch and hit a double to left field, extending the opportunity. Choi Jae-hoon then hit a two-run single to right field, just clearing the first baseman's glove, to take a 3-2 lead.

Hanwha gave Ryu Hyun-jin one more push as he approached the limit. In the top of the 6th inning, leadoff batter Lee Jin-young hit a double to left-center field and was replaced by pinch runner Lee Won-seok. Lee Won-seok scored on Lee Do-yoon's sacrifice bunt and Kim Tae-yeon's ground ball on the first pitch. Hanwha led 4-2.

Ryu Hyun-jin was replaced before the bottom of the 6th inning by right-handed pitcher Park Jun-young, born in 2002. A fierce back-and-forth battle then unfolded. First, in the bottom of the 6th with one out, Hilliard hit a solo home run over the fence to cut the lead by one run.

Hanwha then extended its lead by two runs. In the top of the 7th inning, leadoff batter Sim Woo-jun reached base on a walk. Noh Si-hwan and Peraza's hits were handled by KT shortstop Lee Kang-min, who made a diving play to turn them into straight-line outs. However, Sim Woo-jun, who had stolen second base, was brought home by Moon Hyun-bin's one-run single to center field.

Kang Baek-ho reached base on a strikeout, a dropped third strike, and a wild pitch, keeping the opportunity alive. Shortstop Lee Kang-min then committed an error. Lee Kang-min fielded Lee Won-seok's ground ball but lost the ball while attempting to throw to first base. Meanwhile, Moon Hyun-bin scored. Lee Kang-min quickly threw home, but catcher Kang Hyun-woo's tag was too late.

However, the veterans eased the burden on the rookie. With KT trailing 3-6, Yoon San-heum in the bottom of the 7th issued consecutive walks to Yoo Jun-gyu, Choi Won-jun, and Kim Min-hyuk, creating a bases-loaded, no-out crisis. Kim Hyun-soo hit a two-run single to left field, cutting the deficit by two runs.

Relief pitcher Jo Dong-wook retired Hilliard on a ground ball to second base and Jang Sung-woo on a fly ball to right field. Meanwhile, runner Kim Min-hyuk advanced to third base. Kim Sang-soo hit Jo Dong-wook's off-target pitch hard, driving in a run with a one-run single to left field, tying the game at 6-6. KT ultimately succeeded in taking the lead. In the bottom of the 8th inning, leadoff batter Kang Hyun-woo reached base on a walk against Kim Jong-soo. Jang Jun-won bunted him to second base, and Choi Won-jun hit a one-run single to left-center field, breaking the tie.

Hanwha also showed late strength. In the top of the 9th inning with one out, Kang Baek-ho hit a single to center field against Park Young-hyun. Pinch-hitter Choi In-ho and Hwang Young-mok drew consecutive walks to load the bases. Kim Tae-yeon attacked the first pitch and hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring one run to tie the game at 7-7. However, KT also ended the game without extra innings when pinch-hitter Lee Jung-hoon hit a one-run single to right field with one out and runners on first and third in the bottom of the 9th.

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*This content was translated by AI.