'Moon Hyun-bin Fixed as Left Fielder' Declared; Kim Kyung-moon: "He Gets More Confused Going Back and Forth, Others Will Train as Center Fielders" [Jamsil On-site]

*This content was translated by AI.

"(Outfield) Left side will not move."

Moon Hyun-bin (22, Hanwha Eagles), who had a strong batting pace early in the season, has slowed down. The team concluded that his frequent switching between his familiar left field position and center field had a negative impact. From now on, he is fixed as 'Left Moon Hyun-bin'.

Hanwha manager Kim Kyung-moon (68) met with reporters ahead of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League away game against Doosan Bears at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Songpa-gu, Seoul on the 12th, stating, "Moon Hyun-bin gets more confused going back and forth."

Although Moon Hyun-bin has emerged as a national team outfielder based on his natural batting ability, he faced ups and downs defensively. Originally drafted as an infielder, he transformed into an outfielder in his second year and now takes responsibility for one corner of Hanwha's outfield.

However, problems arose at the center field position for Hanwha. Many candidates, including Lee Won-seok and Lee Jin-young, passed through but failed to provide a clear solution. Eventually, Moon Hyun-bin moved to center field; although there were no official errors, his defense was criticized repeatedly, leading him back to left field.

Manager Kim said, "The other players are training as center fielders. Since Hyun-bin performs best at left field, it is better not to shake him up and create uncertainty on both sides." He added, "That's why Choi In-ho also played center field yesterday. His bat isn't connecting well, so he shouldn't be burdened defensively either."

Rookie Oh Jae-won, who posted a batting average of 0.438 last month and showed a terrifying upward trend, remains the most reliable solution but is currently sidelined due to an ankle injury. Manager Kim stated, "Even if a player says they are fine, we won't know until they put on the uniform, train, and play in games." He explained, "Until Jae-won returns after playing, we will likely see various players taking turns at center field."

Today, Hanwha faces Wes Benjamin, who had two wins and an ERA of 0.75 in the previous two games against Hanwha. Moon Hyun-bin will start at left field, and Lee Jin-young at center field. Hanwha set its starting lineup as follows: Lee Jin-young (center field)-Yonatan Peraza (right field)-Moon Hyun-bin (left field)-Kang Baek-ho (designated hitter)-Noh Si-hwan (third base)-Chae Eun-seong (first base)-Heo In-seo (catcher)-Lee Do-yoon (second base)-Sim Woo-jun (shortstop). Owen White will make the starting appearance.

Despite sending out Wang Yencheng, known as a Doosan killer, the team lost because opposing ace Kwak Bin was tightly held down. After Kwak Bin was pulled, Kang Baek-ho and Chae Eun-seong hit home runs to tie the game, but Jang Yu-ho, who had been pitching scoreless for 10 consecutive games, surrendered a three-run home run in the decisive inning and suffered defeat.

Manager Kim wrapped up by saying, "He has pitched well so far. That means it's not easy to pitch with the burden of being in the winning position. Since he has been pitching so well, we can assume he might get hit once."

Although Hanwha is aiming for autumn baseball, they trail fifth-place KIA Tigers by five games. Despite a difficult starting matchup, this is a game they must win.

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*This content was translated by AI.