Eagles Fall Short as Wiz Edge Closer to Postseason Clinch
SUWON — The KT Wiz continued their march toward the postseason with a 5-3 victory over the Hanwha Eagles on Thursday night, pulling further ahead in the standings and proving too resilient down the stretch. Despite a three-run blast from Shim Woo-jun that put Hanwha within striking distance, the Eagles couldn’t muster enough firepower to overcome an early deficit at KT Wiz Park.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanwha Eagles | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 1 |
| KT Wiz | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 0 |
The game turned on a pair of crucial moments. First came Shim’s mammoth two-out three-run homer in the second inning off KT starter So Hyeong-jun, a blast that temporarily shifted momentum in Hanwha’s direction. The long ball sent Eagles fans into a brief frenzy but ultimately proved insufficient as KT’s bullpen locked down after the fifth inning, allowing just one hit over the final four frames.
Han Seung-taek’s go-ahead single in the sixth inning—a clean stroke through the middle with runners on second and third—proved to be the difference maker. The hit came off reliever Yoo Gwon, who had just entered the game after Hanwha starter Ryu Hyeon-jin departed having given up four runs on seven hits through 5⅓ innings.
Ryu’s outing embodied much of what has plagued Hanwha this season. The veteran right-hander struck out three but couldn’t escape a shaky second inning when Shim connected. By the time he exited, the Eagles were already chasing despite their eventual homer. “We had our chances,” Eagles manager Lee Dong-hoo said tersely, declining further comment.
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanwha Eagles | ||||||
| Ryu Hyeon-jin [L] | 5 ⅓ | 7 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| Lee Hyung-beom | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Hwang Jun-seo | 1 ⅔ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Min-woo Lee | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| KT Wiz | ||||||
| Seo Hyung-jun | 5 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Joo Kwon [W] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sang-dong Lee [H] | 0 ⅓ | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jeon Yong-ju [H] | 0 ⅔ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Sugimoto [H] | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Park Young-hyun [S] | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
KT’s pitching depth was on full display. So Hyeong-jun worked five innings, allowing three runs while walking two and striking out two. From there, the Wiz turned the game into a parade of arms, cycling through Yoo Gwon, Sang-dong Lee, Yong-ju Jeon, and reliever Sugimoto, each contributing a clean inning before closer Park Young-hyeon finished matters in the ninth.
Park’s save was barely tested despite issuing a wild pitch in the ninth. The Eagles mounted minimal pressure in the final inning, unable to build on the momentum they’d established earlier in the night. Chan Eun-seong and Lee Do-yoon each contributed two hits for Hanwha’s offense, but their efforts couldn’t overcome the team’s chronic inability to string together runs when it mattered most.
The Eagles did themselves no favors with sloppy defensive work. Heo In-seo committed an error in the fourth inning that opened the door for KT’s methodical offense. A day after Hanwha’s front office reportedly held emergency meetings about the team’s second-half collapse, the on-field performance offered little reassurance to frustrated fans.
| Batter | AB | H | R | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanwha Eagles | |||||
| Chae Eun-sung | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lee Do-yoon | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shim Woo-jun | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| KT Wiz | |||||
| Kim Sang-soo | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Heo Kyung-min | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Oh Yun-seok | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Han Seung-taek | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Kim Sang-su and Heo Gyeong-min each went 2-for-3 for the Wiz, combining to drive in a run apiece. The victories keep piling up for KT, now sitting 13 games clear of the third-place Tigers with the calendar turning toward August. Their lead feels insurmountable at this juncture.
Peraza earned Hanwha a stolen base in the first inning, and Shim added another in the seventh, yet neither advance proved consequential. The Eagles stranded runners in scoring position repeatedly—a pattern that has become depressingly familiar over their recent losing stretch. They grounded into four double plays as a team, including two in the eighth inning alone when they had genuine opportunities to narrow the gap.
The turning point wasn’t Shim’s homer, despite its arc and distance. It was Han’s sixth-inning single and what it represented: KT’s unwillingness to surrender even after Hanwha had clawed back to within a run. This Wiz team plays with the composure of champions-in-waiting. The Eagles, now six games back of fifth place, play with desperation and little else.
Hanwha slipped to 47-49 with three draws, their record fully underwater now. KT improved to 59-36 with two draws, effectively putting the pennant race on a shelf gathering dust. The Eagles return home tomorrow hoping to salvage something from this road trip, though their pitching rotation gives little cause for optimism. Meanwhile, the Wiz have begun looking ahead to October.