The ‘unfamiliar’ Hanwha Eagles are poised to shake up the KBO.
Hanwha pulled off a 6-4 come-from-behind victory over the KT Wiz at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon on April 28.온라인카지노
They gave up four runs in the first inning, but rallied to win the game. The win extended Hanwha’s winning streak to six games, dating back to April 21 against the KIA Tigers.
It’s a streak that has been hard to come by for Hanwha in recent years. Hanwha’s six-game winning streak is the longest in 1371 days since September 16, 2019, against the Daegu Samsung Lions and September 26, 2019, against the Changwon NC Dinos.
The momentum picked up.
Noh Si-hwan, who hit a solo home run in the seventh inning that tied the game at 4-4, said, “We gave up a lot of runs in the first inning, but we didn’t feel like we were going to lose. I think all the players realized that we could turn it around with our bats, and that’s why we were able to catch up without giving up,” he said.
After three consecutive years at the bottom of the table, Hanwha is used to losing more than winning.
The Hanwha of late has been different. After finishing last in the monthly win percentage in April (0.261), the team has picked up steam since May, climbing to fourth place (0.535).
As the wins have piled up, the entire team has been energized.
“We’re energized from the moment we step on the field,” says Lee. I think we all want to get out on the field and play as soon as possible,” said Lee.
Felix Peña, a foreign player who has worn the Hanwha uniform since last year, said, “I think the team has really gotten stronger. Even when we lose, we don’t lose by a lot of points. “I think the team is strong enough and we have the strength to compete with other teams,” he said.
Having undergone a complete rebuild since 2021, Hanwha is a young team. While that can be a weakness, it can also be a strength, as the team can be frighteningly fiery once they get going.
“The atmosphere is really good,” said Noh. The coaching staff and seniors set the tone for us to make the plays we want to make on the field. We have a lot of young players, but in such a free atmosphere, we can make bold plays and train in a good atmosphere, so I think we can continue our winning streak.”
Now it’s a race to the top. Hanwha is in ninth place (29W4D37L) through 28 days, but only three games behind fifth-place Kiwoom Heroes (35W2D37L). Seventh-place KT (30W2D37L) is also within striking distance, trailing by half a game.
If Hanwha can continue its momentum, it could shake up the table, which is tightly packed at the bottom and middle.
The mindset of the players has also changed.
“The difference between fourth and fifth place is very small,” said Noh Si-hwan, “and it’s the first time this season that I’ve been looking at the leaderboard like this since I turned pro (in 2019) and seeing how many games I’m behind.” He scratched his head.
“We were in the bottom half of the standings at the beginning of the season, we had a lot of bad games, and now we’re not far off (the middle of the standings). We’ve always said that fall baseball is our goal, and it’s not too late. I’ve always said we can move up, and it’s starting to happen,” he said encouragingly.