'10 games, 11 starts': Ryu Hyun-jin finally reaches 9 wins, Hanwha celebrates 4-game winning streak... Kang Baek-ho hits first career 30 home runs — a double celebration [Daejeon On-the-Ground Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

Ryu Hyun-jin and Kang Baek-ho, who represent Hanwha in both pitching and hitting, secured a pleasant record alongside the team's four-game winning streak.

On the 8th, Hanwha defeated Doosan Bears 6-1 in a 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League home game at Daejeon Hanwha Life Park.

With their fourth consecutive win, Hanwha improved to 53 wins, 65 losses, and 3 ties, maintaining seventh place. They narrowed the gap with fifth-place Doosan Bears by eight games, keeping a slim chance of advancing to the postseason playoffs.

Hanwha's starting lineup saw almost no changes from their three-game winning streak. The team set its lineup for the day as Sim Woo-jun (shortstop), Yonatan Peraza (right fielder), Moon Hyun-bin (left fielder), Kang Baek-ho (designated hitter), Noh Si-hwan (third baseman), Kim Tae-yeon (first baseman), Heo In-seo (catcher), Choi In-ho (center fielder), and Lee Do-yoon (second baseman). The only change was a slight adjustment in the batting order. Ryu Hyun-jin was the starting pitcher.

Doosan countered with Park Chan-ho (shortstop), Park Ji-hoon (third baseman), Park Jun-soon (second baseman), Yang Eui-ji (designated hitter), Kim Min-seok (left fielder), Kang Seung-ho (first baseman), Jung Soobin (center fielder), Kim Ki-yeon (catcher), and Kim Daehun (right fielder). Choi Seung-yong started on the mound.

After recording no wins and three losses over his last 10 games since June 11 against KIA (six innings, one run allowed), Ryu Hyun-jin had previously struggled in three starts against Doosan this season with a record of 1-1 and an ERA of 6.19, but today was different.

In the top of the first inning with one out, a shortstop throwing error occurred, but Ryu struck out Park Jun-soon after throwing four changeups and induced an infield grounder from Yang Eui-ji. He retired all three batters in order in the second inning and received support from his lineup.

In the bottom of the second with one out, Kim Tae-yeon drew a walk, and then Heo In-seo smashed a 143 km/h fastball from Choi Seung-yong over the left-center field fence for a two-run lead. This was his 18th home run of the season.

With support from his lineup, Ryu Hyun-jin faced trouble in the top of the third with two outs and a runner on first after allowing a hit to Park Ji-hoon, but he escaped the inning by inducing a flyout to center field from Yang Seok-hwan.

Once again, the lineup lightened Ryu Hyun-jin's burden. With two outs, Moon Hyun-bin reached base with a hit to right field, and then Kang Baek-ho delivered. After a full count, he smashed Choi Seung-yong's slider, launching a 170 km/h line drive for a two-run home run over the center-field fence. This was Kang Baek-ho's first career 30-home run milestone. He also achieved his first career 30-home runs and 100 RBIs in the same season.

Ryu Hyun-jin retired all three batters again in the fourth inning. He allowed a hit to leadoff batter Jung Soobin but induced a double play from Kim Ki-yeon to erase the runner, then struck out Kim Daehun with his signature outside changeup to finish the frame.

In the sixth, he gave up a solo home run to Park Ji-hoon with one out but handled subsequent batters cleanly, finishing six innings on just 79 pitches while allowing only one run.

The Hanwha lineup added more runs in the bottom of the sixth. After Kim Tae-yeon's double with one out, Choi In-ho singled to left field with two outs to add another run. Following a walk by Hwang Young-mok, Sim Woo-jun singled to left field, extending the lead to 6-1.

With a five-run lead, Hanwha brought in relief pitchers starting from the seventh inning. Although Hanwha has a day of rest on the 12th, they decided not to overwork Ryu Hyun-jin, as he could still be used in the upcoming game against KIA Tigers on the 13th.

Hanwha entrusted the seventh inning to Park Sang-won and the eighth to Jang Yu-ho, both finishing without allowing any runs. In the ninth, Lee Min-woo took the mound. He induced a flyout to left field from Yang Eui-ji but allowed Kim Min-seok to reach second base on a first baseman's fielding error. However, he retired Kang Seung-ho and Jung Soobin with consecutive flyouts to center field to close out the game.

Ryu Hyun-jin improved his season record to 9 wins (5 losses). His ERA dropped from 3.91 to 3.80. In contrast, Doosan's starter Choi Seung-yong allowed two home runs and four runs in three innings, taking the loss for the 12th time this season (3 wins), making him the pitcher with the most losses in the league.

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*This content was translated by AI.