'Hanwha breaks 11-game losing streak → Sajik secures 11 straight wins' — What a remarkable turn of events! Kim Seo-hyun pitched 2⅓ scoreless innings for the save, ending Lotte's 'Bukang-i effect'.

*This content was translated by AI.

Nothing could be more remarkable. The Hanwha Eagles snapped their nightmare-like 11-game losing streak on the final day of the Chuseok holiday break. The venue was Sajik, the 'land of promise' where they had not lost a single game in over a year.

On the 27th, Hanwha defeated the Lotte Giants 6-2 in an away regular-season game at Busan Sajik Baseball Stadium as part of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League. With this victory, Hanwha escaped its 11-game losing streak and maintained ninth place in the league with a record of 55 wins, 4 draws, and 76 losses. Meanwhile, Lotte's six-game winning streak came to an end, leaving them in seventh place with 59 wins, 2 draws, and 72 losses.

The Eagle squadron finally ended its tiresome losing streak. Hanwha had lost 11 consecutive games starting from the match against Incheon SSG Landers on the 10th, with one draw in between. This marked their first 11-game losing streak since an 18-game losing streak in 2020, six years later. Coincidentally, the escape route was Sajik. Hanwha had won 11 consecutive games against Lotte at Sajik Baseball Stadium starting from September 9 of last year up to this day. Even on this season's Busan away trips, they achieved a perfect 9-0 record, finishing their head-to-head record against Lotte for the season at 11 wins and 5 losses.

The lineup showed remarkable focus. Choi In-ho went 4-for-4 with 2 runs scored; Kang Baek-ho contributed 3 hits in 3 at-bats, including the go-ahead hit, with 2 RBIs and 1 run scored; and Park Jung-hyun went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, 2 RBIs, and 1 run scored, leading the team to break the losing streak.

The bullpen also did its part as a relief day on the mound. Starting pitcher Lee Sang-gyu began with 2⅔ scoreless innings, and Ju Hyun-sang earned the win after pitching 1⅓ scoreless innings.

Kim Seo-hyun took responsibility for the final inning. Entering in the bottom of the 7th with Hanwha leading 5-2 and two outs with a runner on first base, Kim Seo-hyun pitched 2⅓ innings allowing 1 hit, 1 walk, 1 hit-by-pitch, and striking out 1 batter without surrendering any runs, securing his second save of the season.

In the 8th inning, Kim Seo-hyun walked Son Seong-bin with a pitch to the body and allowed a double by Jeon Jun-woo. He struck out Jang Doo-sung and retired Hwang Sung-bin on a fly ball to left field but issued a walk to Na Seung-yeop, putting himself in a bases-loaded, two-out crisis. However, he extinguished the threat by catching Victor Reyes on a foul fly ball to left field. In the 9th inning, he retired all three batters on just 10 pitches, directly sealing Hanwha's escape from the 11th-game losing streak.

Hanwha showed its determination to break the losing streak from the very start. In the top of the 1st inning, consecutive hits by Sim Woo-jun and Choi In-ho created a bases-empty situation with runners on first and third. After one out, Kang Baek-ho, despite facing a 3-ball count, won a tough at-bat and hit an RBI double to center field. Yonatan Peraza added an RBI single to left field, and Heo In-seo followed with a sacrifice fly to left field, instantly building a 3-0 lead.

Lotte did not give up easily. In the bottom of the 5th inning, Na Seung-yeop drew a walk and Reyes hit a double down the right-field line, creating a bases-empty opportunity with runners on second and third. Han Dong-hee hit an RBI double to center-left field, and Go Seung-min's ground ball to the shortstop added another run, narrowing the gap to 2-3.

However, Hanwha quickly cut off the momentum. In the top of the 6th inning, Choi In-ho reached base with a single to left field and advanced to second base on a wild pitch by Na Gyun-an. Kang Baek-ho then hit an RBI double to center field, extending the lead to 4-2. Park Jung-hyun drove in the nail in the coffin. In the top of the 7th inning, he crushed Kim Won-jung's cutter over the left-field wall for his ninth solo home run of the season, and in the top of the 9th inning, he hit an RBI double down the left-field line, finalizing the score at 6-2.

For Lotte, yet another winning streak came to an end. Since a great white shark was discovered in the waterway at Busan Bukhang Riverside Park on the 18th, Lotte had won six consecutive games, sparking the so-called 'Bukang-i effect' among fans after naming the shark its nickname.

The crowds flocking to see Bukang-i also exploded. According to the Busan Facilities Corporation, visitor numbers to Bukhang Riverside Park alone reached 468,000 from Chuseok holiday on the 24th until 6 p.m. today. Compared to the usual daily visitors of about 2,000 on holidays, this was an enormous level of interest.

However, the 'Bukang-i effect' at the baseball stadium ended on this day. Lotte's starting pitcher Na Gyun-an held strong for 6 innings, allowing 7 hits with no walks and striking out 8 batters while surrendering 4 earned runs, but without support from his lineup, he took the burden of his 11th loss (6 wins) of the season.

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*This content was translated by AI.