*This content was translated by AI.
Can they become a top-tier rescue duo to save the struggling Hanwha Eagles? Kim Seo-hyun (22) and Jung Woo-ju (20) are set to join the first team ahead of next week’s six-game home series.
Hanwha manager Kim Kyung-moon (68), after the season’s 13th game against Samsung Lions, originally scheduled for today at Daegu Samsung Lions Park, was cancelled, met with reporters and stated, “He is currently in Ulsan; he will move today, rest tomorrow, and join us on Tuesday.”
Hanwha has fallen to ninth place with a record of 8 wins, 13 losses, and 1 tie in the second half. While aiming for a playoff spot from sixth place, they now trail fifth-place KIA Tigers by six games.
While the overall balance between pitching and hitting has been off, the collapse of the bullpen is particularly painful. The bullpen’s ERA in the second half stands at 6.37, ranking ninth.
With no clear solution in sight, the decision was made to call up Kim Seo-hyun and Jung Woo-ju. Earlier, Manager Kim expressed his expectations, saying, “Once these two players join, they have experience from last year’s pitching, so I think they will gain more strength.” He had previously stated he would decide on their call-up after observing their performances in two or three Futures League games, but both have recently pitched scoreless innings over the last three consecutive games.
On the 15th against Ulsan Whales, Jung Woo-ju entered in the bottom of the sixth inning with his team trailing 2-6. He struck out Ye Jin-won, induced a flyout to right field from No Kyung-min, and recorded another strikeout via a swinging miss from Kim Soo-in.
Jung Woo-ju, who has struggled throughout this season, was sent to the second team last month due to shoulder pain and focused solely on recovery without playing in any games. After recording a scoreless inning with one hit allowed and one walk against Samsung Lions on the 12th, followed by another scoreless inning with two hits allowed and two strikeouts against Samsung on the 14th, he delivered a perfect outing today, striking out two batters and completing preparations for his return to the first team.
Kim Seo-hyun took over from Jung Woo-ju in the seventh inning, inducing a flyout to left field from Park Min-seok. He then allowed a straight walk to left-handed batter Kim Seo-won but caught Choi Jun-seo with a flyout to right field. With one out and a runner on first base, he induced a flyout to right field from Ha Jae-hoon, but a fielding error allowed the runner to score. Since this run was due to an error, it was not charged as an earned run. In Choi Ji-man’s at-bat, he ended the inning by having the catcher throw out runner Ha Jae-hoon attempting to steal second base.
Hanwha’s closer Kim Seo-hyun, who recorded 33 saves last year, also faced severe control issues this season, shuttling between the first and second teams. Last month, he even traveled to Japan to work on his control, but has recently pitched no-hit games over three consecutive outings. Although two walks were issued, his performance is significantly different from before.
Manager Kim stated, “The universe was fine, and Seo-hyun was still a bit lacking against left-handed batters, but I believe that once these players pitch in the first team with crowds present, things will change.” He added, “Even if they cannot immediately secure a win or take over as closer, if they contribute one role at a time in important situations, it will help us achieve winning streaks,” expressing his high expectations.
Hanwha is precisely in need of a winning momentum. In this regard, next week’s schedule is very important. They are set to play six consecutive home games, with their first opponent being KIA. Depending on the results of the three-game series, they can narrow the gap by up to three games. Expectations are high as Hanwha held a slight edge over LG this season with a record of 6 wins and 5 losses.
Most importantly, if Kim Seo-hyun and Jung Woo-ju join and strengthen the back end of the bullpen, the team’s overall strength is expected to stabilize further.
*This content was translated by AI.
