'White threw 111 pitches in a complete game → Jo Dong-wook with bases loaded, no outs, scoreless.' Hanwha reclaims 5th place; another 'Kang-Noh explosion' crushes top-ranked LG 8-1 [Jamsil Game Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

The pitching staff's outstanding performance was met with a response from Hanwha Eagles' 'Dynamite lineup.' Through perfect harmony between pitching and hitting, even the top-ranked LG Twins were subdued.

On the 3rd, Hanwha secured an 8-1 victory over LG Twins in an away game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium, Songpa-gu, Seoul, as part of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League.

With the win, Hanwha improved to 39 wins, 38 losses, and 2 ties, moving into 5th place by half a game over Doosan Bears. The top-ranked LG now sits at 50-40, narrowing the gap with second-place Samsung Lions to 1.5 games.

Hanwha's lineup for the day was: Choi In-ho (left field), Yonatan Peraza (right field), Moon Hyun-bin (center field), Kang Baek-ho (designated hitter), Noh Si-hwan (third base), Heo In-seo (catcher), Kim Tae-yeon (first base), Lee Do-yoon (second base), and Sim Woo-jun (shortstop). Owen White started on the mound.

LG's lineup for the day was: Hong Chang-gi (right field), Park Hae-min (center field), Austin Dean (first base), Moon Bo-kyung (designated hitter), Cheon Seong-ho (third base), Moon Sung-ju (left field), Lee Young-bin (shortstop), Lee Ju-heon (catcher), and Shin Min-jae (second base). Lachlan Wells made the start.

The strategy was to relentlessly exploit White's weakness. Although White suffered an injury early in the season and appeared in only nine games, he held a 4-4 record with an ERA of 3.24. However, his batting average against left-handed batters stood at 0.292, significantly higher than his overall season average (0.250) and that against right-handed batters (0.198).

However, White responded with a stunning display of pitching that drew admiration. He allowed hits in every inning through the third, all to left-handed batters, yet remained completely steady. In critical situations, he consistently recorded outs via grounders and strikeouts without allowing any runs. From the fourth inning onward, he retired 27 consecutive batters over three innings.

Wells also delivered an impressive outing. He faced a crisis in the top of the first with an infield hit and an error by second baseman Shin Min-jae, putting runners on first and second with two outs. However, he got Noh Si-hwan to ground out to third base, escaping the danger. In the second inning, he again found himself in a 1-out, bases-loaded situation but retired Sim Woo-jun via strikeout and Choi In-ho via a fly ball to center field.

Wells finished the third and fourth innings with three up, three down, allowing only one walk in the fifth, maintaining a tight pitching duel that matched White's performance.

The sixth inning proved disappointing for Wells. After retiring Moon Hyun-bin via a fly ball to right field, he was hit hard by Kang Baek-ho. With a 1-2 count, Kang Baek-ho drove a 90 mph fastball over the left-center field wall for a solo home run. This was Kang's 22nd home run of the season. The three consecutive home runs gave Hanwha the lead.

With a 1-0 lead, White returned to the mound in the seventh. The biggest crisis of the game arrived. After giving up a double to Austin with one out, White struck out Moon Bo-kyung swinging and walked Cheon Seong-ho. With his pitch count already exceeding 100, Hanwha's bench made no move. Ultimately, White retired Moon Sung-ju via a fly ball to left field, preserving the lead before leaving the mound.

Opportunity followed crisis. The 'Pemun-Kang-Noh' trio delivered the momentum to Hanwha. In the top of the eighth against third pitcher Kim Jin-seong, with one out, Peraza hit a single to left field and Moon Hyun-bin hit a single to center field, putting runners on first and third. Kang Baek-ho then followed with a sacrifice fly to left field, extending the lead by one run. With two outs and a runner on second, Noh Si-hwan crushed Kim Jin-seong's 89 mph outside fastball over the right-field fence for a two-run home run. This was his 17th home run of the season.

Ultimately, LG replaced their pitcher with Park Si-won, but it was too little too late to contain Hanwha's hot lineup. After walking Heo In-seo and Kim Tae-yeon, Lee Do-yoon hit a massive shot to left field. Left fielder Moon Sung-ju leaped but the ball rolled past his glove toward the left-center field wall. Both runners from first and second scored.

There was no easy victory. Right-handed reliever Lee Sang-gyu entered in the bottom of the eighth and allowed three consecutive hits to the lower-order batters: Lee Young-bin, Lee Ju-heon, and Shin Min-jae. Hanwha's bench called upon left-handed pitcher Jo Dong-wook to face LG's lineup, which consisted entirely of left-handed hitters. The strategy worked perfectly. Hong Chang-gi targeted the first-pitch slider, but his hit went straight to Jo Dong-wook's glove, completing a double play with the catcher and first baseman. Facing pinch-hitter Song Chan-ui with a 2-2 count, Jo Dong-wook threw a fastball on the outer edge of the strike zone that froze the batter, resulting in a swinging strikeout to end the inning.

Hanwha's offensive firepower did not fade in the ninth. Pinch-hitter Park Jung-hyun drew a walk, and Oh Jae-won reached base with an infield hit. After Moon Hyun-bin grounded into a double play, leaving runners on third with two outs, Kang Baek-ho returned to the plate and once again drove Lee Sang-young's slider over the left-center field wall. His 23rd home run of the season was a two-run shot, extending Hanwha's lead to 8-0.

Park Sang-won entered in the bottom of the ninth and allowed back-to-back doubles to Moon Jung-bin and Moon Bo-kyung, giving up one run, but he finished the inning without allowing any further runs.

White, who threw 111 pitches over seven innings, allowed four hits, one walk, and recorded five strikeouts in a scoreless performance, earning his fifth win of the season (with four losses). In contrast, Wells, who pitched six innings on 94 pitches with three hits allowed, two walks, seven strikeouts, and one run given up, received no support from the lineup and took his third loss (with five wins).

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*This content was translated by AI.