The Hanwha Eagles won again. They immediately rebounded without any aftereffects of losing consecutive wins. The stadium was filled with spectators until weekday night, setting a new record for six consecutive games. It seems like the real “baseball spring” has come to Daejeon.
Hanwha came from behind to beat Lotte Giants 6-5 at a home game held at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon on Sunday. The team finished its first 10 games with eight wins and two losses, maintaining its No. 1 ranking.
After losing the opening game, the Hanwha Eagles won seven consecutive games before stopping due to loss against Lotte on Wednesday. However, after taking a day off due to cancellation of rain on Thursday, the team turned the tables again on Wednesday, sending the stadium into a frenzy. The Hanwha Eagles has yet to lose consecutive games this season.
The heat started to heat up even before the game. All tickets for all 12,000 seats were sold out at 6:03 p.m., 30 minutes before the game started, even though it was a night game on weekdays. The tickets for the opening five consecutive games were all sold out following the three consecutive games at home against the KT Wiz from April 29 to 31, and the game against the Lotte Giants on April 2. Including the game against Lotte on October 16, the game has been sold out for the past six consecutive games.
Hanwha gave up the lead to Lotte first. Starting pitcher Moon Dong-joo, who was weak in last year’s game against Lotte (12.15 ERA) in two games, also struggled in his first match of the year. He overcame the crisis by giving up consecutive hits from the beginning, before being hit by Victor Reyes (second of the season) after two outs in the third inning. In the fourth inning, he allowed consecutive doubles to Roh Jin-hyuk and Son Ho-young to give up one more run, and in the fifth inning, Son Ho-young hit a timely two-run single to the right-center field again with the bases loaded with one out. His best fastball speed amounted to 158 kilometers per hour, but he allowed 10 hits (one homer) and three walks, three strikeouts and four runs in five innings before leaving the mound.
Still, the Hanwha Eagles did not falter. In the fourth inning, Noh hit a solo home run (his fourth in the season) in left-center that heralded the start of his pursuit against Lotte starter Aaron Wilkerson. Then, Jordan Peraza, a new foreign hitter who joined this season, hit a three-run homer (his fifth in the season) that tied the game 4-4, with one out and runners on first and third bases in the fifth inning. It was a decisive blow to erase Moon’s defeat and bring the game to square one.
Hanwha took the lead in the bullpen fight that began in the sixth inning with all-out pitching by Kim Bum-soo and Joo Hyun-sang. Then, with consecutive hits by Moon Hyun-bin and Peraza in the bottom of the seventh inning, he took the opportunity to hit the first and third bases with no outs, laying the groundwork for a 카지노 reversal drama. Captain Chae Eun-seong, who entered the batter’s box afterwards, hit Lotte bullpen Koo Seung-min’s first pitch fastball to hit the left-center fence. When Chae Eun-seong performed a ceremony of waving eagle wings with both hands, the crowd erupted in enthusiastic shouts.
Hanwha finished the inning by adding a run with Ahn Chi-hong’s double play with no outs and a full base on Roh Si-hwan’s walk. Lotte followed the lead with a double by Lotte’s leadoff hitter Junghoon Lee in the bottom of the ninth inning, but pitcher Lee Min-woo, who was replaced with a single out and first base, handled Lotte’s No. 4-5 Jeon Joon-woo and Roh Jin-hyuk with a poor batting and kept the win by one point.
“Peraza elevated the mood that could have been depressed by a tiebreaking home run,” Hanwha manager Choi Won-ho said after the game. “The homer changed the trend and we won the game.” “Ju Hyun-sang is in the best condition in our bullpen right now. He stably blocked the opponent team’s batters again,” he said. “Lee Min-woo also made a meaningful save by skillfully maintaining his win at the moment when the tide was over.”