Hanwha Eagles coach, Choi Won-ho [연합뉴스]
The eagle fell from an arrow that was shot carelessly.
The Hanwha Eagles, who came first in the season for the first time in 17 years with 7 consecutive wins in March, sank to 8th place after 25 games.
The problem is the fear that it could fall further. They are 3 games ahead of 9th place KT Wiz and 10th place Lotte Giants in points, but this cannot be guaranteed.
March flew by. Although the loss in the opening game was disappointing, they swept SG Landers and KT Wiz in a row, starting with the game against the LG Twins on the 24th, and went on to win 7 games in a row.
The alto-like performance of transfer players such as monster rookie pitcher Hwang Jun-seo, Ahn Chi-hong, and Kim Kang-min, the stability of bullpen players Kim Seo-hyun, Kim Beom-soo, and Joo Hyun-sang, and the military factory was at home completed by Chae Eun-seong, Noh Si-hwan, and Peraza was great.
Hanwha Eagles pitcher Hwang Jun-seo [사진 한화이글스]
But it didn’t take long for this combination to fall apart. It was shaken at the beginning of April. Right now, this month’s win rate is stuck at .300.
What stands out is the weak ‘number battle’. Coach Won-ho Choi’s winning plans often went astray.
There is not much difference between a 7 game winning streak and a 5 game losing streak. It feels like the players are doing their part. It’s hard to see this as an aftereffect of Han Seung-joo and Kim Kang-min’s departure.
What has changed is the director’s ‘touch’ in a tense situation. While there was a pendulum swing to the March game due to a change in the mentality of the players, the April game had a strong feeling of collapse due to the manager’s failed strategy.
Most of the games we lost were by 1 or 2 points. In a close situation, a lot of Manager Choi’s pinch hits, stolen bases, and replacing pitchers didn’t work.
Professional baseball site as of April 24
A representative situation is the 3 runs put up by Han Seung-hyuk in the bullpen on the 23rd. With the score tied in the eighth inning, pitcher Han Seung-hyuk walked too much and was in danger of reaching the bases.
His field control was not good, and it was clear that he was shaken up after being the losing pitcher the day before. It had to be taken down immediately, but Director Choi pushed it forward.
As a result, he gave up 1 run due to 2 RBI, an untimed hit, and a wild pitch, and was listed as the losing pitcher for two consecutive days. It was a miserable result: conceding 3 goals, losing by 3 points, and 3 defeats in a row.
The stolen base that shook the opposing pitcher also disappeared. No, to be precise, they were all caught. As of April 21, Hanwha’s steal success rate was 37.5%. Out of 16 attempts, only 6 were successful.
The selection of pinch hitters is also not good. You can tell just by looking at the usage of Moon Hyun-bin, a promising player in his second year of debut.
Using Moon Hyun-bin, born in 2004, as a pinch hitter in a critical situation with two double plays with the bases loaded and a batting average of .100 was a near-eccentric endeavor on the part of baseball players. .
Sending a player who had debuted only two years ago to the second team could not revive his spirit, but instead pushed him into a crisis and caused him to explode mentally.
Coach Choi is not good in many ways, from his inability to maintain a facial expression in the dugout to his fear of blaming others in interviews.
Kia Tigers player Kim Do-young [연합뉴스]
This is widely compared to the actions of new Kia Tigers coach Beom-ho Lee. Manager Lee boldly tries to replace pitchers and batters under his own responsibility.
Believing that the coach is responsible, the players do their best not to miss the opportunity to compete. Turning Kim Do-young, who had been shaky throughout March, into a home run hitter in April was also the result of Coach Lee’s trust and consideration.
In baseball, the abilities of the players are important, but the choice of the manager who controls the flow determines victory or defeat. Only when players show responsibility for results and confidence in their choices will they trust and repay their coach.
Hanwha Eagles player Noh Si-hwan [연합뉴스]
It seems that the discord between the coach and the players is responsible for the decline of the Hanwha Eagles. Despite excellent resources such as Ryu Hyun-jin, Ahn Chi-hong, Hwang Jun-seo, Noh Si-hwan, and Chae Eun-seong, they cannot secure victory.
Because it is early in the league, the Hanwha Eagles can emerge at any time. To achieve this, coaches and players need to share honest opinions and be bolder. I look forward to seeing the eagle soar again.
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