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‘We have changed’ Doosan has to prove its three-game series

Hanwha Moon Dong-ju, who was substituted, is fighting back during the professional baseball '2024 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League' exhibition game between Kia Tigers and Hanwha Eagles held at Hanwha Life Insurance Eagles Park in Jung-gu, Daejeon on the afternoon of the 12th.

Hanwha's 2024 season slogan is 'DIFFERNT US.'

It is an expression of the will to change the image of a weak team that has been imprinted by ranking only 9th-10th-10th-10th-9th over the past five years since 2019. In addition, it also contains the will to become a strong team by improving the constitution of a team that does not give up easily.

Hanwha, which endured a painful rebuilding period for three years, boosted the team's strength ahead of this season by returning Ryu Hyun-jin to the team after 12 years and bringing in veteran players such as Ahn Chi-hong, Kim Kang-min, and Lee Jae-won.

Before the season opening, experts expressed their expectations by selecting Hanwha, which had strengthened its power, as a candidate for the top five. The starting point was, ‘It can’t get any better than this.’

Hanwha has shown a change since the start of this season, winning 8 games in 10 games, including 7 in a row. In this process, all starting players except Ryu Hyun-jin achieved victory, raising expectations.

But the crisis came quickly. Hanwha lost all three weekend games against Kiwoom Heroes that began on the 5th. It is also unfortunate that the starting lineup, which showed strong performance during the sweep, collapsed in succession.

In particular, Ryu Hyun-jin recorded 8 hits and gave up 9 runs in the 5th inning on the 5th, giving up the most runs in his career. Foreign pitcher Felix Peña, who started on the 6th, also performed poorly, allowing 4 hits (1 home run), 3 walks, and 6 runs (4 earned) in 3 innings. Hanwha is now at an important crossroads where it must prove that we have changed. The strength to go on a winning streak is necessary, but how quickly a team can escape from a slump or losing streak is also an important virtue of a strong team. There are many precedents. Last year, Hanwha was on the rise with 8 consecutive wins after a manager change in the middle of the season, but soon after lost 6 games in a row, losing the opportunity to rebound in the rankings, and ended the season in 9th place. The team that Hanwha, which is on a losing streak, is facing is the Doosan Bears. Fortunately for Hanwha, Doosan is not easily recovering from its early slump, recording 2 wins and 8 losses in the last 10 games. Hanwha is scheduled to start Sanchez, Dong-ju Moon, and Hyun-jin Ryu in the three-game away game against Doosan in Jamsil. If Sanchez and Moon Dong-joo, who pitched well in their previous two appearances, play a leading role in breaking the team's losing streak, they will be able to immediately lift the team's mood. In order for Hanwha to show a truly different side this season, Ryu Hyun-jin's rebound in this three-game series is also more important than anything else. Perhaps due to high expectations, Ryu Hyun-jin, who has been the only Hanwha starter who has not achieved a win since the opening game, needs to dispel the concerns around him in this appearance in order to play the role of the team's pillar as an ace.