grapplegraphics.com Hanwha snapped a five-game losing streak with home runs from Moon Dong-joo, Ho Too and Noh Si-hwan.
Hanwha won a 6-1 home game against Doosan in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at the Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon on Wednesday.
Despite dropping to ninth place with five straight losses, the team rewarded its fans for their unwavering support with a sellout (12,000) for the fourth home game of the season.스포츠토토
Starting pitcher Moon Dong-ju pitched six innings of four-hit ball with one walk and five strikeouts to earn his seventh win of the season and snap the team’s losing streak. It was his first win in 11 days in a return matchup after suffering a loss (one run in five innings) against Kwak Bin in a start against Doosan in Daejeon on the 1st.
At the plate, home run leader Noh Si-hwan’s 27th home run of the season in the first inning proved to be the difference. In the seventh inning, he hit a two-run homer over the top of the centre field fence to put two runners on base and put the game out of reach for Hanwha. He went 4-for-4 with two long balls to lead the team in RBIs (75) along with his home run. Shortstop Lee Do-yoon, batting ninth, also contributed with three hits and two RBIs, including a double.
Hanwha, which snapped a five-game losing streak, improved to 39 wins, 52 losses and five draws. Fifth-placed Doosan is 49 wins, 46 losses and one draw.
Hanwha stops losing streak with homegrown ace Moon Dong-joo, Kwak Bin and return match ‘Seol Yok-seung’
Hanwha’s homegrown ace Moon Dong-ju broke the team’s losing streak. After a long 10-pitch battle with Doosan’s Kwak-Bin Jung in the first inning, Moon got Kim Jae-ho to fly out to centre field and Jose Rojas to strike out swinging for a triple. He struck out Rojas with a big curveball on the seventh pitch.
After retiring Yang Seok-hwan (shortstop), Kim Jae-hwan (grounder to first base) and Heo Kyung-min (catcher’s foul fly) in order in the second inning on seven pitches, Moon struck out Park Jun-young and Park Yoo-yeon on pitches to the body and Ahn Jae-seok on pitches to the outside.
His perfect game was broken up in the fourth inning by a leadoff single to right by Jung Soo-bin, but he struck out Park Kye-beom on a 153km fastball and then induced Rojas to ground out to the pitcher with a slider. He then induced a grounder to shortstop on a low slider to Yang Seok-hwan with two outs to escape the jam. He gave up a single to Heo Kyung-min in the fifth, but retired the next three batters to keep the scoreless streak alive. He only needed 75 pitches.
The first run came in the sixth inning. A curveball to Ahn Jae-seok led off the inning with a single up the middle. After a wild pitch, Moon Dong-joo lined a single to Rojas in right-centre, giving Yang Seok-hwan his first walk of the game. He had runners on first and third with two outs, but got Kim Jae-hwan to fly out to left field to end the threat. Totaled 102 pitches, 66 strikes and 36 balls. Topped out at 155 mph and averaged 151 mph with a fastball (61), followed by a curve (22), slider (17), and changeup (2).
With the bullpen protecting a one-run lead, Moon earned his seventh win of the season (7-0). After pitching 100 innings (104⅓) in his rookie season, Moon lowered his ERA from 3.39 to 3.28, solidifying his position as the No. 1 candidate for the Rookie of the Year award. He also rebounded from a start against Doosan’s Kwak-Bin Kwak in Daejeon on the 1st (5 innings, 5 hits, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts, 2 runs). In that game, Kwak beat Moon Dong-ju with seven innings of two-hit ball (one home run), one walk, 10 strikeouts and one run.
Hanwha’s Moon Dong-joo. /OSEN DB
Hanwha’s Noh Si-hwan. /OSEN DB
‘Home run leader’ Noh Si-hwan’s 27th home run, a two-run shot over the top of the fence, was a ‘four-hit explosion’
In the batting order, Noh Si-hwan was the solution. He was on fire from his first at-bat in the first inning. Against Doosan starter Kwak Bin, Jung Eun-won drew a walk to load the bases. Noh lined a 148km fastball down the middle of Kwak’s third pitch for a two-run home run over the right-centre fence.
Noh’s strong hip rotation allowed him to use a follow-through motion to power the ball all the way to the plate. The moment his upper body went back, he knew it was a home run. It was his 27th home run of the season with a distance of 125 metres. With another home run in three days and two games after his three against Suwon KT on the 9th, Noh extended his lead in the category to six with Choi Jung (21 SSGs).
After failing to score in the seventh inning against Doosan’s Kwak-Bin Kwak, Hanwha sealed the win. After leading off with a walk, Choi Jae-hoon laid down a sacrifice bunt to put runners on first and second. Lee then took advantage of Kwak Bin’s change-up and smashed a two-run double into right field to make it 3-1.
Hanwha’s Lee Do-yoon. /OSEN DB
After a walk to Kim In-hwan against reliever Kim Myung-shin, Noh exploded for a two-run single with runners on first and second. He scooped up a five-pitch fastball from Kim Myung-shin and smashed it over the top of the centre field fence for a huge home run. A two-run double that brought both runners home. It was the game-winning hit that made the score 5-1. Noh went 2-for-4 with a home run and a double to lead the league in RBIs (75).
Hanwha drove in a run in the eighth inning when Lee Do-yoon hit a single to left field. Lee batted a perfect 9-for-9 with three hits and two RBIs. The Hanwha bullpen also pitched three shutout innings. After Moon Dong-joo was sent down, Jang Si-hwan in the seventh, Kim Bum-soo in the eighth and Park Sang-won in the ninth pitched one inning of scoreless relief to preserve the one-run lead. Jang picked up his second no-hitter of the season.
Doosan starter Kwak Bin, who topped out at 151km and averaged 149km with his fastball (43), curve (22), slider (2) and changeup (17), gave up four runs on eight hits (one homer) with two walks and six strikeouts in 6⅓ innings but could not get any offensive support and suffered his fifth loss of the season (nine wins). /waw@osen.co.kr
Doosan Kwak-Bin. /OSEN DB