*This content was translated by AI.
When things go well, it feels so natural that it is easily forgotten. Hanwha Eagles' 'Dolmeongi' Moon Hyun-bin is still a 22-year-old going through trial and error and learning one thing at a time.
On the 21st, Moon Hyun-bin started as the second batter and center fielder in Hanwha's home game against LG Twins at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark during the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season. He went 4-for-6 with four RBIs and three runs scored, leading Hanwha to a dramatic 15-11 comeback victory.
Hanwha had fallen behind 0-9. Starting pitcher Bruce Zimmermann collapsed after pitching just one-third of an inning, allowing seven earned runs, and LG added two more runs in the third inning. The team, on a six-game losing streak, found itself nine runs behind from the start of the game. It seemed as though they had already lost their chance to win.
However, Hanwha did not give up. Starting with two runs in the fourth inning, they added three in the fifth, three in the sixth, and three in the seventh to tie the game at 11-11. In the eighth inning, they scored four more runs to finally turn the tide of the game.
At the center of it all was Moon Hyun-bin. In the fifth inning, he hit a two-run double to right-center field for an RBI. In the sixth inning, he reached base with a single to right field and scored when Kang Baek-ho hit an RBI single. In the seventh inning, he added another run with a sacrifice fly to left-center field. In the eighth inning, when Hanwha took its first lead at 12-11, Moon Hyun-bin drove in two runs with a two-run double down the left-field line, sealing the victory.
It was a game so unbelievable that even the person who led the comeback found it hard to believe. After the game, when he met with reporters, Moon Hyun-bin laughed and said, "I don't think we've ever played baseball like this before. I don't think we've ever come back from such a deficit either, but once we did, it felt unbelievable."
He had not set out to catch up nine runs all at once from the beginning. Moon Hyun-bin reflected, "We just kept thinking about scoring one run at a time. As runners got on base and we scored quickly, the gap narrowed, and we kept gaining momentum."
He added, "It wasn't so much that I thought we could turn it around, but rather that we should keep chasing. But as we kept going, somehow we found ourselves ahead. It wasn't just me; the other batters really played well."
More welcome than the four hits was the process of Moon Hyun-bin finding his hitting form again. Moon Hyun-bin maintained steady batting performance in the first half of the season but hit a slump in the second half. In August, he managed only a .244 batting average (11 hits in 45 at-bats) over 12 games. He had moments of strong performance, such as a .356 average in July, and periods of severe slumps, like a .232 average in June, showing significant inconsistency.
As the period of poor performance stretched on, his confidence began to waver. Moon Hyun-bin admitted, "I felt psychologically pressured. As my mindset crumbled, even my technical mechanics changed. It took a long time to find my way again. I was also late in realizing that I had changed."
Those words brought his age into sharp focus once again. Moon Hyun-bin is in his fourth professional season, drafted by Hanwha as the 11th overall pick in the second round of the 2023 KBO Rookie Draft after graduating from Bukil High School. He established himself as a key hitter from his debut year with 114 hits, becoming a familiar name to Hanwha fans.
However, not every player can experience a long season filled with slumps and the process of finding answers within them. Moon Hyun-bin also viewed this year's slump not as failure but as one experience among many.
Moon Hyun-bin said, "This is something I haven't experienced before. I think there are lessons to be learned from it." He added, "If a similar bad situation comes up again in the future, I believe I will be able to overcome it more quickly."
Therefore, even with four hits today, he did not prematurely declare his revival. Moon Hyun-bin said, "I can't say my hitting feel has immediately returned after just one game. Even if my batting feels good tomorrow, I might not be able to hit all the well-placed pitches." Yet, he smiled and added, "Still, I think I'll be able to maintain a more consistent average than when I was struggling."
It was also a day that Hanwha would never easily forget. The team, mired in a six-game losing streak, overturned a 0-9 deficit. Moon Hyun-bin said, "I believe coming back from a nine-run deficit is itself a turning point that can completely change the team's atmosphere. Since we scored so many runs, I expect the batters' hitting feel to gradually improve."
Even Moon Hyun-bin, known as 'Dolmeongi' for always appearing tough, is still a 22-year-old with much to learn. Hanwha, which did not give up even when down 0-9, ultimately smiled with a 15-11 victory. And at the heart of that dramatic comeback, Moon Hyun-bin, who hit four hits, found a small clue to emerge from his long slump.
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*This content was translated by AI.
