It was thrilling! Hanwha's new foreigner, 5G's home run, is the final hit ceremony? I won't throw a threatening ball.

Jun 28, 2025

It was thrilling! Hanwha's new foreigner, 5G's home run, is the final hit ceremony? I won't throw a threatening ball.
Riverato for the interview. Reporter Kim Young-rok



It was thrilling! Hanwha's new foreigner, 5G's home run, is the final hit ceremony? I won't throw a threatening ball.
photo courtesy of Hanwha Eagles
"The Dominican Republic's baseball culture is similar to that of Korea. When you hit a critical hit or homer, you make the celebration big for each other."

The three-point game that determined the winner was a three-point come-from-behind hit. It was a clear hit by the clothesline that would pass the height of the right fielder at the moment of the hit. As soon as he climbed slightly over the fence, Luis Liberato jumped up and cheered.

SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 28th. Hanwha Eagles won 5-2 in Game 2 of the weekend series against SSG Landers with Liberato's come-from-behind three-run shot in the top of the sixth inning and Ponce's one run in seven innings. He succeeded in avenging his upset loss the previous day.




On this day, Liberato led his team to victory by scoring two hits and three RBIs in four at-bats, including a home run. The SSG pitcher who faced Ponce on the day was ace Anderson. A fierce pitching competition was held from the beginning of the game, but Liberato's shot decided the game.

It was thrilling! Hanwha's new foreigner, 5G's home run, is the final hit ceremony? I won't throw a threatening ball.
photo courtesy of Hanwha Eagles
Riverato struck out in the previous two at-bats, but in the third at-bat, he hit Anderson's 152km fastball with a ball count of 0B1S and crossed the right fence. It is his first home run in five games since his debut in Korean baseball. Anderson was replaced without completing the sixth inning, and Ponce, as usual, was in charge until the seventh inning.

After the game, Liberato said, `I'm so happy that I hit my first home run. Thank God. After hitting it, I thought it was a long shot, but I didn't know it would be a home run.




Anderson and Ponce are Liberals competing for the No. 1 ERA this season and the best foreign pitcher of the year. Liberato said "I knew the opposing pitcher was doing well. Ponce said very much 'thank you'," he said with a big smile.

Liberato has a six-week contract. After that, you may return to your home country, continue to play for Hanwha, or receive love calls from other teams in the league. Liberato briefly disappointed, saying, `I don't think it's six weeks, I'm just working hard at every at-bat.'

But "I'm closest to Kim Tae-yeon. Kim Taeyeon is teaching me Korean and I'm teaching Kim Taeyeon Spanish"It brightened up again. In particular, he added that `Korea is a country where rice is very delicious.'




It was thrilling! Hanwha's new foreigner, 5G's home run, is the final hit ceremony? I won't throw a threatening ball.
photo courtesy of Hanwha Eagles
In particular, it was interesting to see the shooting ceremony continue throughout the ground after hitting a home run. Liberato replied "It was a clutch situation, and it's my first home run, so I always have a lot of energy, so I do a raucous celebration after hitting a home run." Then "Our baseball culture is similar to that of Korea. If you get a critical hit and a home run, you'll celebrate as big as you do now," he added.

"I'm not a home run hitter. Even before coming to Korea, people around me were told that `You're a batter who doesn't aim for a home run but can get a lot of hits with good contact, and you're good at bunt, so it'll fit well with the Korean league.' I think we're getting good results because we've been training consistently hard."

An official from Hanwha said, `While Floral is generally quiet and cold, Liberato is passionate and outgoing. I became friends with my team members quickly" he tipped off.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.