'5G ERA 6.87' Hanwha's Wang Yencheng, Tired? "I'll Say I'll Keep Pitching"... Secured 6th Win After a Month's Wait

*This content was translated by AI.

Rest was a luxury for Wang Yencheng (25, Hanwha Eagles). He continuously analyzed his own issues, pondered how to improve them, and worked hard. As a result, he was finally able to secure the victory he had been waiting for over a month.

On the 26th, Wang Yencheng started in the visiting game against SSG Landers at the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League held at Incheon SSG Landers Field. He threw 93 pitches over 5⅔ innings, allowing 6 hits, 1 walk, and 5 strikeouts while giving up only 1 earned run, delivering a strong performance to secure his 6th win (3 losses) of the season.

He added a victory in his sixth game since his longest outing on the 22nd against the Doosan Bears (7 innings, 2 earned runs).

Wang Yencheng maintained an ERA of 2.45 through April, but his ERA rose to 4.26 in May. However, he secured three wins without a loss, demonstrating the qualities of an ace.

However, since the end of May, a vicious cycle repeated where he would pitch well in one game after his victory against Doosan on the 22nd of last month, only to be pulled early in the next game. Even when he pitched decently, luck did not favor him, and he failed to secure a win.

According to that pattern, he had collapsed in the game against Samsung Lions on the 20th (2⅔ innings, 3 earned runs), so this game was one where he should have pitched well. Yet, he delivered a flawless performance, not just in terms of results but in every aspect.

Wang Yencheng started the game by striking out the first batter, Jung Jun-jae, with a powerful fastball. He allowed a hit to Park Sung-han but induced a double play to the shortstop off Choi Jeong, ending the inning in just three batters. In the second inning, he struck out Guillermo Heredia with a fastball. Although he allowed baserunners in the second, third, and fourth innings, his steady pitching never allowed a runner to reach second base.

The fifth inning was disappointing. Kim Sung-wook's hard-hit ball struck the third-base bag and bounced up. During that time, Kim Sung-wook advanced to second base. The throw from left fielder Lee Jin-young was slightly off, and before second baseman Lee Do-yoon could make the catch, the runner headed for third base. He induced a fly ball to right field from Go Myeong-jun, but the runner who tagged up from third base scored. This was the only run allowed that day.

Wang Yencheng appeared again in the sixth inning and recorded two outs, but he allowed a double to Heredia. Ultimately, he was replaced by Park Sang-won ahead of Oh Tae-gon's at-bat. Had he recorded just one more out, he could have achieved a quality start (starting pitcher pitching 6 or more innings with 3 or fewer earned runs) in his sixth game and secured his own win condition, which would have been a missed opportunity. Fortunately, Park Sang-won cleanly retired Oh Tae-gon, and no additional runs were allowed.

Of the 93rd pitches thrown that day, he used 39 four-seam fastballs clocked at 150 km/h, with a low of 141 km/h, and 23 two-seam fastballs reaching a high of 149 km/h, totaling 62 pitches (66.7% of all pitches) with fastballs. The power of his fastballs was clearly effective. He mixed in 13 forkballs, 12 sweepers, and 1 slider to effectively suppress the SSG batters. His strike percentage was also solid at 64.5% (60/93).

He received four runs of support through the sixth inning, and after Wang Yencheng was pulled, the lineup added five more runs in the eighth inning, allowing him to secure a pleasant victory.

After the game, Wang Yencheng said, "I received a lot of help from my teammates in both defense and offense. I want to thank them and convey that the whole team has worked hard," passing the credit to his teammates.

He had not won a game for over a month. Although there was bad luck, Wang Yencheng tried to find problems within himself. "I have been trying to fix my issues during training. I prepared as always and am happy to bring about good results," he shared.

He is spending a full-time season in the unfamiliar land of Korea. Concerns about weight loss have also arisen. However, Wang Yencheng said, "My weight has not dropped. I am eating a lot of Korean food, so there is no need to worry." He added, "There were times when I was not in good condition, but if the manager asks, I will tell him I will not rest and will keep pitching," expressing his determination to complete the first half of the season without missing a rotation spot.

He had just one out left to record through the sixth inning. Wang Yencheng said, "Even the hit I allowed was not a bad pitch in my own assessment, but I was disappointed about the hit," while adding, "The substitution was decided by the team, so I think it is unavoidable."

The next task is to eliminate inconsistency. Although he pitched well today, if the recent trend continues, he could collapse in the next game. Wang Yencheng said, "I prepare to show an even better performance in the next game for every game," and pledged, "I will work hard again starting tomorrow to ensure I can show a good performance in the next game as well."

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.