'How could this be?' Hanwha's 'super strong move' of changing pitchers after one out in the 9th inning was a huge success! A thrilling one-run victory avenging the loss to KIA the day before [Daejeon On-Site Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

The Hanwha Eagles, led by two powerful home runs, subdued the KIA Tigers and smiled with relief after avenging their loss the previous day (the 9th). The protagonist of the winning series will be decided in the game on the 11th.

Hanwha secured a 4-3 victory over KIA in a 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular-season home game held at Daejeon Hanwha Life Park on the 10th.

After scoring three runs in the 8th inning the previous day, Hanwha narrowly lost 4-6. With this win, they reset the midweek series record to 1 win and 1 loss. Hanwha improved to 31 wins, 1 tie, and 28 losses, maintaining their 5th-place position.

Meanwhile, KIA ended their two-game winning streak with a record of 33 wins, 1 tie, and 28 losses. While holding onto 4th place, the gap between the two teams narrowed from two games to just one game.

Hanwha's starting lineup was arranged in the following order: O Jae-won (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). Hanwha's starting pitcher was Owen White. Before this game, White had appeared in five games this season with a record of 2 wins and 2 losses and an ERA of 3.04. This was his first time facing KIA this season.

In response, KIA set their starting lineup as follows: Park Jae-hyun (left fielder), Kim Min-gyu (center fielder), Kim Do-young (designated hitter), Na Sung-beom (right fielder), Adellin (first baseman), Kim Kyu-sung (second baseman), Byun Woo-hyeok (third baseman), Kim Tae-gun (catcher), and Park Min (shortstop). Their starting pitcher was Shirakawa. Like White, this was Shirakawa's first time facing Hanwha this season.

Hanwha took the early lead by scoring three runs in the bottom of the 1st inning. Leadoff batter O Jae-won reached base after an eight-pitch battle with a walk. Peraza also reached base on a walk in the fifth pitch, giving Hanwha a bases-empty opportunity with no outs and runners on first and second. Next, Moon Hyun-bin, facing a 0-1 count, hit a two-pitch curveball inside the body and sent it over the right-field wall for a three-run home run. This was Moon Hyun-bin's ninth home run of the season.

Following continued strong pitching from both teams' starters, Hanwha scored again with a big hit in the 5th inning. With no outs and no runners on base, Kim Tae-yeon hit a slider in a 1-1 count over the left-field wall for a solo home run. This was Kim Tae-yeon's fourth home run of the season.

KIA did not give up easily. They responded with a big hit of their own. In the top of the 7th inning, with no outs and no runners on base, Byun Woo-hyeok hit a pitch in a 2-2 count over the left-field wall for his first home run of the season. It had been 633 days since Byun Woo-hyeok last tasted a home run, dating back to the Gwangju Kiwoom game on September 15, 2024.

That was not the end. In the top of the 8th inning, Hanwha removed White and brought in his second pitcher, Lee Sang-gyu. White's line for the game was 7 innings, 6 hits allowed, 0 walks, 5 strikeouts, 1 run allowed (1 earned run), with a total of 89 pitches thrown. However, Hanwha immediately faltered after White was removed. Lee Sang-gyu gave up a straight fastball walk to leadoff batter Park Jae-hyun.

Lee Sang-gyu got the next batter, Han Jun-soo, out with a ground ball to third base and struck out Kim Do-young on three pitches for the second out. However, Na Sung-beom hit a double down the left-field line, keeping the bases-loaded opportunity alive. Adellin then delivered a two-run single to left field, narrowing the score to 4-3. Hanwha brought in closer Lee Min-woo in the top of the 9th inning.

Lee Min-woo got leadoff batter Byun Woo-hyeok out with a ground ball to the shortstop and then walked Kim Ho-ryeong after a six-pitch battle. KIA sent in substitute batter Park Jung-woo for Jung Hyun-chang. In response, Hanwha boldly removed Lee Min-woo and brought Jo Dong-wook onto the mound. Jo Dong-wook immediately struck out Park Jung-woo with a swing-and-miss strikeout. He then struck out Park Jae-hyun as well, closing out the game with a victory.

With Hanwha's victory, White improved his record to 3 wins and 2 losses. Meanwhile, Shirakawa took the loss with 3⅔ innings (98 total pitches), 3 hits allowed (1 home run), 4 walks, 1 strikeout, and 3 runs allowed (3 earned runs), marking his first loss of the season.

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*This content was translated by AI.