*This content was translated by AI.
Even though Hanwha Eagles' foreign starting pitcher collapsed, giving up seven runs in just one-third of an inning, they managed to tie the game and eventually take the lead. In a game that seemed essentially over, Kwon Min-gyu (20) bought Hanwha time so they would not give up.
On the 21st, Hanwha defeated LG Twins 15-11 in a regular-season home game at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark as part of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League.
With this win, Hanwha escaped its six-game losing streak and maintained eighth place with 49 wins, three draws, and 56 losses. LG, now in a two-game losing streak, stands at 60 wins, one draw, and 50 losses, leaving them one game behind third-place KIA Tigers, who also won on the same day.
For Hanwha, victory seemed unlikely. They were already in the midst of a six-game losing streak, and starting pitcher Bruce Zimmermann was pulled before completing even one inning after delivering his worst performance: allowing six hits, two walks, striking out one batter, and surrendering seven runs in just one-third of an inning.
Facing LG's potent lineup, Hanwha turned to Kwon Min-gyu, who had recently returned from training in Japan. In early July, Kwon traveled with Kim Seo-hyun (22) to the Next Base Athletic Lab in Japan for a roughly three-week program before returning. Since then, he had appeared in only two first-division games, making his appearance on this day after a week-long absence.
He stepped into an unplanned role as the de facto starting pitcher. Even though his relief appearance was not scheduled, he threw 84 pitches. Mixing 33 fastballs, 24 changeups, 16 sliders, and 11 curveballs, he covered 4⅓ innings.
Kwon Min-gyu entered the game in the top of the first inning with two outs and runners on first and second, a critical situation. He shut down LG's lineup, which had been like an erupting volcano, by allowing only two batters to reach base. He induced a double play from Shin Min-jae with a ground ball to right field, ending the long first inning.
He was also effective against the championship team's core lineup. He handled Park Hae-min with a ground ball directly to the shortstop, then walked Austin after a battle that went to 10 pitches. However, he struck out Moon Jung-bin on a swing-and-miss and retired Song Chan-ui with a fly ball to left field, allowing no runs.
He allowed his first run in the third inning. Kwon Min-gyu gave up consecutive center-field hits to Moon Bo-kyung and Gu Bon-hyeok, then surrendered a two-run double that looked like a home run to Lee Ju-heon. He also allowed a center-field hit to Hong Chang-ki, putting him in danger of giving up many runs. However, by precisely placing the ball at the top edge of the strike zone, he induced grounders from Shin Min-jae, Park Hae-min, and Austin, minimizing the damage.
Gaining confidence, Kwon Min-gyu recorded a three-up, three-down inning in the fourth. He retired Moon Jung-bin with a fly ball to right field on just six pitches, then got Song Chan-ui and Moon Bo-kyung out with only three pitches total via fly balls. It was regrettable that he could not finish the fifth inning. He retired Gu Bon-hyeok with a fly ball to right field using six pitches and struck out Lee Ju-heon on a swing-and-miss, but was replaced by Lee Hyung-beom after allowing a two-run double down the right-field line to Hong Chang-ki and a one-run single up the middle to Shin Min-jae.
His velocity did not suddenly increase. His fastball topped out at 142 km/h with an average of 139 km/h, showing no noticeable improvement in speed. What stood out compared to before he left for Japan was his increased stability in delivering his pitches. The Next Base Athletic Lab that Kwon Min-gyu visited is known as the most famous baseball lab in Japan. According to a KBO team official, more than 100 Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) players train there every year.
A KBO team official who has been to the facility explained, "Compared to other famous centers in the U.S., this place offers more detailed analysis and measurement for players. They check everything from a player's toes to shoulder muscles to understand why certain areas are tight or why pain occurs when throwing in specific ways. As a result, player satisfaction and understanding levels are extremely high."
Kim Seo-hyun, whom Kwon met before the game, said, "If I mainly learned about body location and pitch design, Min-gyu went there primarily to increase his speed. Although what we learned was always different, we exchanged many ideas on baseball matters." In other words, the prescription given to the two pitchers who traveled to the same place was completely different. While improving velocity was Kwon Min-gyu's most important task, he did not focus solely on increasing speed.
Meanwhile, while Kwon Min-gyu held the line, Hanwha's lineup also found its power. Starting with Heo In-seo's two-run double to left-center field with two outs and runners on first and second in the bottom of the fourth inning, they built momentum by scoring three runs in the bottom of the fifth. They continued to batter LG's pitching staff with three runs in the sixth, three in the seventh, and four in the eighth, eventually securing the comeback victory.
After the game, Hanwha manager Kim Kyung-moon praised his team, saying, "As the losing streak lengthened, both players and coaches went through a difficult time. Thanks to the support of fans who stayed until the end at the stadium, the players did not give up and played their best to break the losing streak."
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*This content was translated by AI.
