It now goes back 18 years. Hanwha’s unstoppable momentum has them on track for their first seven-game winning streak since 2005.
On April 28, Hanwha came from behind to win 6-4 against KT in Daejeon. They got off to a rough start with four runs in the first inning, but rallied to tie the game in the fifth on a two-run double by Lee Jin-young and a game-winning solo shot by Noh Si-hwan in the seventh to complete the comeback. Six bullpen pitchers combined for six scoreless innings to help secure the win 안전놀이터.
With the win, Hanwha extended its winning streak to six games, dating back to September 21 against KIA in Daejeon. It was the first six-game winning streak in 1371 days since September 16, 2019, against Daegu Samsung Electronics and September 26, 2019, against Changwon NC. This is the longest winning streak under Choi Won-ho, including his stint as acting head coach in 2020.
Now four games clear of 10th-place Samsung, Hanwha is looking for its seventh straight win. Hanwha’s most recent seven-game winning streak has to be traced back to 2005. Back then, in Kim In-sung’s first year as head coach, the team won nine straight games from June 4 against Doosan in Cheongju to June 14 against KIA in Gwangju (unranked).
The seven-game winning streak was capped by a 3-1 victory over LG Electronics in Daejeon on June 11. The winning pitcher was MBC Sports Plus commentator Jeong Min-cheol, who served as a pitching coach and manager for Hanwha after retiring. In that game, Jung earned the win by shutting down the LG bats with seven innings of seven-hit ball, striking out two and walking one.
With the score tied 1-1 in the fifth inning, Kim Tae-gyun broke the tie with a two-run single to right field. Jay Davis, the KBO’s all-time leading foreign hitter, went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk in the game. Of the 31 Hanwha and LG players who played in that game, only LG rookie Park Byung-ho (KT) is still active. All others are retired. That was 18 years ago, and a lot of time has passed.
In 2005, Hanwha capitalized on a nine-game winning streak to move from fifth to third in the standings. They finished the season in fourth place and qualified for the postseason for the first time in four years. This year, Hanwha also broke through with a six-game winning streak and is now just three games behind fifth-place Kiwoom. It’s important to keep the momentum going now as they have a chance to jump into the mid-table.
Hanwha’s six-game winning streak is no fluke. Since May, the team has been above average on the mound with the fourth-best ERA (3.80), and the offense has hit rock bottom with the seventh-best OPS (.697). Since May alone, the team is 23-20-3 (.535 winning percentage), good for fourth in the league.
During that stretch, Felix Peña (5-1, 2.15) and Ricardo Sanchez (4-1, 1.48) have formed a foreign one-two punch that is second to none. Moon Dong-ju (3-3, 4.60) has had his ups and downs, but has been dominant on scratch days. Closer Park Sang-won (2-5, 2.88) and the bullpen of Lee Tae-yang (1-1, 2.86), Kim Bum-soo (2-1, 6, 2.63), Kang Jae-min (3-9, 4.24), Jung Woo-ram (1-4, 3.52), Yoon Dae-kyung (2-2, 1.84), and Joo Hyun-sang (1-hit, 2.92) are no slouches either in quantity or quality.
The hitting cycle of the batting lineup, which suffered from a severe slump until May, has also improved. The long-hitting Lee Jin-young and Kim In-hwan established themselves as the 1-2 table-setters while Noh Si-hwan and Chae Eun-sung continued to perform consistently. The batting order of Lee Jin-young, Kim In-hwan, Roh Si-hwan, Williams, and Chae Eun-sung is competitive, with newcomer Nick Williams quickly settling into the No. 4 spot. Rookie Moon Hyun-bin and catcher Choi Jae-hoon, along with Kim Tae-yeon, who came up from the second team after adjusting his batting, provide strength in the bottom of the order after the sixth spot 메이저사이트추천.
Williams, who arrived on April 22, when Hanwha’s winning streak began in earnest, has yet to see his team lose. “I haven’t seen our team lose since I’ve been here. I don’t think we’re good enough to be in the bottom half. Especially with the energy of the team. I can’t believe where we are right now.”
Hanwha will start the ‘undefeated’ Sanchez against KT in Daejeon on the 29th, looking for their seventh straight win in a whopping 6592 days. While KT has called up William Cuevas, it is unclear if the game will be played due to the forecast of heavy rain.