Choi Jae-hoon of the Hanwha Eagles hits an RBI single against the KT Wiz during a Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, 30 kilometers south of Seoul, on June 4, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SUWON, South Korea, June 4 (Korea Bizwire) — Carried by an opportunistic offense, the Hanwha Eagles defeated the KT Wiz 8-2 on Tuesday to mark the highly anticipated return of manager Kim Kyung-moon.
The bottom third of the Eagles’ lineup produced six RBIs, and the bullpen threw six solid innings at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, 30 kilometers south of Seoul, as the Eagles snapped their three-game losing streak.
Kim was appointed the Eagles’ new manager Sunday and worked his first game in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) since June 2018 on Tuesday. The 65-year-old now has 897 regular-season victories in 1,701 games.
After the Eagles’ rookie starter Hwang Jun-seo escaped the bases-loaded jam in the bottom first unscathed, the Eagles’ offense cashed in after putting three men aboard in the top second.
The Eagles got two singles and a walk against Wiz starter Wes Benjamin. Then some unlikely sources for offense did damage.
No. 8 hitter Lee Do-yun plated the game’s first run with a sacrifice fly to center. Then No. 9 hitter Jang Jin-hyuk, who entered Tuesday with five RBIs in 17 games this season, knocked in two more runs with a double to deep left-center field.
Staked to a 3-0 lead, Hwang Jun-seo, who walked three batters in the first inning, played with fire again in the second. He issued another walk and hit a batter, before getting Hwang Jae-gyun to bounce into a force-out at third.
Choi Jae-hoon of the Hanwha Eagles (R) beats the tag by KT Wiz catcher Jang Sung-woo to score during the teams’ Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, 30 kilometers south of Seoul, on June 4, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
The Wiz got a run back in the bottom third with three straight singles, with Jang Sung-woo delivering the run-scoring hit to center. They loaded the bases later that inning, as Hwang Jun-seo gave up his fifth free pass of the game. But the left-hander retired Kim Sang-su on a pop fly to second base, keeping the Eagles up 3-1.
During their third-inning rally, the Wiz rued a base-running miscue by Moon Sang-chul, who was thrown out at third after starting toward home on a pitch in the dirt and failing to get back to the bag in time.
Kim Min-hyuck singled to right after Moon was erased at third, a hit that would have made this a one-run game if not for that miscue.
After the teams traded zeroes for a couple of innings, the Eagles pulled away with three runs in the top sixth.
They loaded the bases against new pitcher Kim Min-su. Chae Eun-seong’s force-out made it 4-1, before consecutive singles by Choi Jae-hoon and Lee Do-yun turned this into a 6-1 affair.
The Wiz made it 6-2 in the bottom sixth on Hwang Jae-gyun’s RBI groundout, but the Eagles responded with two runs in the top eighth, going up 8-2 courtesy of Choi Jae-hoon’s double and a balk by reliever Lee Sang-dong.
Hanwha Eagles manager Kim Kyung-moon applauds his players during a Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game against the KT Wiz at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, 30 kilometers south of Seoul, on June 4, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
Choi, who went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, said he wanted to do his part to help the new manager win in his Eagles debut.
“When he first arrived, he told me to go play well, and I didn’t want to let him down,” Choi said. “Honestly, I felt a little intimidated by him. But during the game, he tried to make us feel comfortable, and he was a huge cheerleader for us. I think we all fed off his energy.”
Choi and Kim have a bit of history, dating back to the early years of Choi’s career when he was a backup catcher for the Doosan Bears with Kim at the helm.
Now 34, Choi shared a tip with younger players on getting in Kim’s good graces.
“He likes to see guys give their full effort and run back to the dugout after each inning,” Choi said. “And when you give the guys big cheers from the dugout, even when you’re not playing, then the manager will like that. So I think some of our young guys should bring some energy.”
Neither starter went long in this game. Hwang Jun-seo needed 91 pitches to get through three frames, as he walked five of the 18 batters he faced. He allowed a run on four hits and struck out two.
Five relievers for the Eagles kept the Wiz to a run on three hits over the final six frames, with Jang Min-je, who worked two scoreless innings in relief of Hwang, getting credited with the win.
Jang, a 34-year-old veteran, said manager Kim had given him a heads-up about possibly handling multiple innings out of the pen, and he was mentally ready to take on that responsibility Tuesday.
“With the new manager here, I don’t think things will change too much. Veterans will have to keep leading the way and help our manager here,” Jang said. “At the end of the day, we are the ones that have to play the game on the field. We’re looking forward to working with him the rest of this season.”
Benjamin was kept on a pitch count in his first start since May 12 after shaking off elbow issues and made 61 pitches in four innings, while giving up three runs on three hits and a walk to take the loss.
The Wiz squandered several scoring chances. They couldn’t cash in after putting runners at first and second in the fourth, and a leadoff single in the fifth was negated by a double play. With two outs and runners at the corners in the seventh, pinch hitter Oh Jae-il struck out.
(Yonhap)
