The Hanwha Eagles continued their hot streak, defeating the Kiwoom Heroes 11-5 on the road at Gocheok Sky Dome on Tuesday, extending their winning streak to three games and moving into a tie for sixth place in the KBO League standings.
With the victory, Hanwha improved to 17 wins and 20 losses on the season, sharing sixth place with the KIA Tigers, who lost on the same day. The loss left Kiwoom at the bottom of the standings with a 13-24-1 record.
Hanwha’s lineup for the game featured Hwang Young-mook (second base), Yonathan Perlaza (right field), Mun Hyun-bin (left field), Kang Baek-ho (designated hitter), Noh Si-hwan (third base), Lee Jin-young (center field), Kim Tae-yeon (first base), Choe Jae-hoon (catcher), and Shim Woo-jun (shortstop). Ryu Hyun-jin took the mound as the starting pitcher.
The Heroes countered with Seo Geon-chang (designated hitter), Im Byeong-wook (right field), Ahn Chi-hong (second base), Choi Joo-hwan (first base), Trenton Brooks (left field), Yang Hyeon-jong (third base), Kwon Hyeok-bin (shortstop), and Kim Geon-hee (catcher). Bae Dong-hyun, who moved from Hanwha to Kiwoom in last year’s second draft, made his first start against his former team.
The Eagles’ offense exploded in the first inning, capitalizing on shaky pitching from Bae. Hwang Young-mook led off with a hit-by-pitch, Perlaza singled up the middle, and Kang Baek-ho walked to load the bases. Noh Si-hwan then crushed a 144 km/h fastball from Bae over the center-right field fence for a 130-meter grand slam, his seventh home run of the season and the third grand slam of his KBO career. It was also the sixth grand slam in the league this season.
Following the homer, Lee Jin-young and Kim Tae-yeon hit consecutive singles, and Choe Jae-hoon added a sacrifice fly to make the score 5-0.
Hanwha added another run in the second inning when Mun Hyun-bin doubled and Kang Baek-ho followed with an RBI double. The lead ballooned to 8-0 in the fourth inning as Kang and Noh drove in runs on consecutive hits.
Ryu Hyun-jin turned in a strong performance, allowing only one hit through the first three innings with efficient pitching. The fourth inning proved more challenging, as he gave up a single to Choi Joo-hwan with one out. A misplay by left fielder Mun Hyun-bin allowed the runner to advance to third, and a sacrifice fly by Brooks brought in the first run for Kiwoom.
In the fifth inning, Ryu struck out two batters to start, but then surrendered a single to Seo Geon-chang, walked Im Byeong-wook, and threw a wild pitch. A two-run single from Ahn Chi-hong cut the lead to 8-3.
Despite the shaky inning, Ryu left the mound with a comfortable lead and the win within reach. The Hanwha offense provided plenty of insurance in the sixth inning, as Kang Baek-ho launched a solo home run, his eighth of the season. In the eighth, Kang walked, Noh singled, and two wild pitches from Kiwoom relievers added another run, putting Hanwha into double digits. Mun Hyun-bin added an RBI single in the ninth to make it 11-3.
After Ryu exited, the Hanwha bullpen held the lead comfortably. Cho Dong-wook pitched ⅔ inning, allowing one run, followed by Lee Sang-kyu (1⅓ innings), Kwon Min-kyu, and Lee Min-woo (1 inning). With the win, Ryu improved to 4-0 on the season and earned his first career victory at Gocheok Sky Dome.
Noh Si-hwan, who had been struggling at the plate earlier in the season and was sent to the minors, continued his hot streak with three hits and five RBIs in six at-bats. He is now batting .364 (16-for-44) over his last 10 games.
Kang Baek-ho also had a huge game, going 2-for-3 with two walks, three RBIs, and two runs scored, including a home run. Perlaza collected three hits and scored twice from the second spot in the lineup, while Mun Hyun-bin added three hits, an RBI, and two runs.
