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Hanwha Eagles beat LG Twins to close gap in KBO standings

Published: 01 May. 2025, 13:22 Updated: 01 May. 2025, 20:31

Hanwha Eagles infielder Hwang Young-mook, right, celebrate during a KBO game against the LG Twins at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark in Daejeon on April 30. [NEWS1]

The Hanwha Eagles are flying high, inching closer to the top of the KBO standings after securing a 5-2 comeback victory over league leaders LG Twins on Wednesday at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark in Daejeon.

Veteran starter Ryu Hyun-jin delivered a strong performance, and pinch hitter Hwang Young-mook blasted a go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh inning to seal the win.

The Eagles, now 19-13 with a .594 winning percentage, sit just 1.5 games behind the Twins and a mere 0.006 behind No. 2 Samsung Lions, making them a serious contender in the race for the league lead.

The turning point came late. Down 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh with one out and a runner on second, Hwang came off the bench and sent Twins reliever Kim Jin-sung’s second pitch over the right-field fence. The blast, Hwang’s first home run of the season, sent the 17,000-strong crowd into a frenzy.

The Eagles' young talent added insurance runs in the eighth. Moon Hyun-bin, 22, hit his fourth home run of the season, and 23-year-old Heo In-seo added an RBI double to cap off the rally.

Ryu, in his fifth KBO start since returning from the MLB, tossed seven innings, giving up two runs on six hits with six strikeouts. The win was his third of the season, and he became the 11th pitcher in league history to reach 1,400 career strikeouts.

Hanwha Eagles pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin celebrates with his teammates after a 5-2 win over the LG Twins at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark in Daejeon on April 30. [NEWS1]

Closer Kim Seo-hyun notched his ninth save, tying KT Wiz’s Park Young-hyun and Lotte Giants’ Kim Won-joong for the league lead.

Despite a solid outing from starter Yonny Chirinos, who allowed just one run over six innings, the Twins dropped its fourth straight game and is now in danger of losing its grip on the lead.

Elsewhere in the KBO, the Giants held off the Kiwoom Heroes 10-9 in a slugfest at Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul. Closer Kim Won-joong gave up a three-run homer in the ninth but escaped with the win.

Na Seung-yeop hit his seventh home run of the season, and Victor Reyes went 4-for-5 at the plate.

Over at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in southern Seoul, the KT Wiz beat the Doosan Bears 8-3. Foreign starter Enmanuel De Jesus returned from injury with six solid innings, and Mel Rojas Jr. crushed a two-run homer, his fifth.

Bears ace Kohl Irvin struggled, giving up six runs in 6 and a third innings.

The NC Dinos snapped a four-game losing streak with a 7-0 shutout of the Kia Tigers in Gwangju.

Riley Thompson threw seven scoreless innings with seven strikeouts. Last year’s home run leader, Matt Davidson, hit his fifth homer of the season in just his second game back from injury.

In Incheon, the Lions and SSG Landers played to a 6-6 draw after 11 innings.

The Lions briefly took a lead in the 10th on Kang Min-ho’s first homer of the season, but the Landers' Choi Jun-woo tied it with a two-run blast in the bottom half.

The Lions' six-game winning streak ended, but they remained in second place.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY BAE YOUNG-EUN [[email protected]]