Hanwha Eagles, Fall Baseball Is Away Again This Year

The Hanwha Eagles suffered a fatal blow on the threshold of the post-season.

They barely managed to keep the flame of advancing to the top 5 alive with a record of 6 wins and 4 losses in the last 10 games, but it was painful because 3 of the 4 losses were against Lotte Giants and KT Wiz, who are fighting for the top 5.

Their hopes for a spot in the postseason have been dashed by two consecutive losses, including a loss to fifth-place KT Wiz in a match that could have reduced their lead.

The Hanwha Eagles lost a home game against KT Wiz on the 31st of last month, which was a turning point in the battle for the top 5, and dark clouds have gathered over the fall baseball. The Hanwha Eagles, who were 1.5 games behind the 5th place KT Wiz, sent out their first starter Ryu Hyun-jin to hit a double, but were overwhelmed by KT Wiz’s 4 home runs and ace William Cuevas’ pitching through the 6th inning, resulting in a crushing defeat with a score of 6-2. If they had beaten KT Wiz, they could have narrowed the gap to 0.5 games, but the loss widened the gap.

As of the 31st, Hanwha is in 7th place with 57 wins, 2 draws, and 63 losses (win rate of 0.475) in 122 games. It is 2.5 games behind 5th place KT (62 wins, 2 draws, 63 losses), the Maginot Line for the post-season. SSG Landers (59 wins, 1 draw, 65 losses) is in 6th place, with no gap from Hanwha Eagles, and Lotte Giants (55 wins, 3 draws, 62 losses), which is on a 3-game winning streak, is in 8th place, 0.5 games behind. Of the 4 teams, KT Wiz is closest to the post-season, but it is too early to make a hasty decision since there are still many games left for each team. The fierce battle starts now.

The problem is Hanwha Eagles.

The remaining 22 games for the Hanwha Eagles are not easy. They have 9 games left against the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place teams: Kia Tigers (3 games), Samsung Lions (2 games), and LG Twins (4 games). They are absolutely inferior to Kia Tigers with 3 wins and 10 losses, and they are not superior to Samsung Lions with 6 wins and 8 losses. They are evenly matched with LG Twins with 6 wins and 6 losses. Of the 9 games against the top 3 teams, only 3 are home games, and having to play 6 away games is also burdensome.

They are also at a disadvantage against Lotte Giants, who have the most games left with 5 wins and 6 losses, and are overwhelmed by NC Dinos, who have 4 games left with 2 wins, 2 draws, and 8 losses. They also have to play one last game against last-place Kiwoom Heroes, with 6 wins and 9 losses.

On the other hand, they have 2 games left against SSG Landers, who are extremely strong with 10 wins and 4 losses, and 1 game left against Doosan Bears, who have 9 wins and 6 losses. They have finished all of their season games against KT Wiz (10 wins and 6 losses). It is unfortunate for Hanwha Eagles that they do not have any games left against KT Wiz at the end of the season.

When considering the winning percentage of the top 5 teams that can advance to the top 5 on their own as 50%, Hanwha Eagles is currently at -6. There are 22 games left. It is true that it is difficult to reach a 50% winning percentage, but it is comforting that among the teams fighting for the top 5, they have the second most games left after Lotte Giants. KT Wiz has played 127 games, SSG Landers 125 games, and Lotte Giants 120 games.

Hanwha Eagles will have to focus their firepower in every game, from the Doosan Bears (home) on the 3rd, to the Kia Tigers (away) on the 4th and 5th, and to the LG Twins (away) on the 6th and 8th. If they fall behind here, there will be no fall baseball this year either.