Hanwha's No. 1 Run? Don't worry → How long will Ponce X TWICE be revealed as a reality...

Jul 25, 2025

Hanwha's No. 1 Run? Don't worry → How long will Ponce X TWICE be revealed as a reality...
The Hanwha-KT match held at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on the 20th. Hanwha starter Ryu Hyun-jin is warming up before taking the mound. Suwon = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.7.20/



Hanwha's No. 1 Run? Don't worry → How long will Ponce X TWICE be revealed as a reality...
The game between KT and Hanwha at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on the 19th. Hanwha starter Weiss, who allowed consecutive hits and three runs in the first inning. Suwon = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2025.07.19/
Hanwha's No. 1 Run? Don't worry → How long will Ponce X TWICE be revealed as a reality...
An Chi-hong as the 6th designated hitter
"Well, Hanwha (Eagles) is very strong these days...How long will Ponce and Weiss throw like they do now?"

When asked about Hanwha's chances of winning the regular season, a commentator gave a cautious answer.

The eagle's high-flying flight remains in the second half of the year. He is running in first place with a gap of four games with the second-place LG Twins and seven games with the third-place Lotte Giants.




However, there are still many skeptical views in the baseball world about Hanwha's chances of winning the championship. Above all, attention is being paid to the two players who showed a fiery pitching that they couldn't hope for more with one-two punch.

Ponce started 20 games in the first half and played 127 ⅔ innings. It ranks first in the league in innings and strikeouts (176), and has a whopping 1.76 ERA. Literally showed off the presence of a 'perfect' ace.

Weiss also pitched 111 ⅓ innings in 19 games, ranking eighth in innings after Hurado, Nail, and Zachlog. He also stands out with a 3.40 ERA. Combining the two players, quality starts (more than 6 innings and less than 3 earned runs) amount to 26 games.




Hanwha's No. 1 Run? Don't worry → How long will Ponce X TWICE be revealed as a reality...
The match between Hanwha and KIA at Hanwha Life Ballpark in Daejeon on the 9th. Hanwha starter Um Sang-baek, who gave up the first run in the top of the second inning. Daejeon =Reporter Song Jeong-heon@sportschosun.com/2025.07.09/
On the other hand, FA, which invested a huge amount of money, did not meet expectations. '78 billion FA' Um Sang-baek was relegated to the bullpen after 66 ⅔ innings in 16 games, 1 win, 6 losses and a 6.89 ERA. '5 billion FA' Shim Woo-joon also meets expectations easily in defense, while batting .240, two homers, 14 RBIs and OPS (on-base plus slugging) 0.542 on offense. He is a quasi-leg who once occupied the steal king, but his on-base percentage is only 253, so there is no failure to steal bases this season, but he has only six successes.

Ahn Chi-hong's slump in his second year of Hanwha is even more painful. The batting average is only 155, and the OPS is only 0.423. After Kim Kyung-moon's appointment, he briefly took charge of second base last season and early this season, but as a result, it was not enough. This year, he faced a severe batting slump at a time when he was dedicated to designated hitters.

Hanwha's No. 1 Run? Don't worry → How long will Ponce X TWICE be revealed as a reality...
A game between the Doosan Bears and the Hanwha Eagles at Jamsil Stadium on the 24th. Shim Woo-joon of the Hanwha Eagles is struck out with one out in the top of the eighth inning. Jamsil = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.07.24/
It's comforting that Chae Eun-sung hit .3 with 16 home runs, 63 RBIs, and an OPS of .886 in his second heyday.




Among the team's best starters, Moon Dong-ju cruised with seven wins in the first half alone, but on the contrary, Ryu Hyun-jin suffered an adductor injury and failed to meet the regular innings, recording 85 innings in 16 games, 6-4 with a 3.07 ERA. Although the ERA is still at a level, it is worrisome that the number of pitches exceeded 80 rapidly fluctuates and the ability to digest innings has declined.

In the end, Hanwha's No. 1 ranking was thanks to the mound, which had the No. 1 ERA, and to be more precise, the bullpen of the Pilseung Group, which was united around Kim Seo-hyun and Pilseung Group's main phenomenon, helping Ponce-WICE to overcome their imagination.

However, Ponce and Weiss stumbled side by side in their first appearance in the second half. Weiss recorded his worst pitch of the season with five runs in three innings against KT Wiz on the 19th. Ponce was replaced in 70 pitches while pitching 6 scoreless innings and 7K against the Doosan Bears on the 24th. Hanwha explained that `Ponce had symptoms of shoulder clumping, so he replaced the player protection car.'

Hanwha's No. 1 Run? Don't worry → How long will Ponce X TWICE be revealed as a reality...
A game between the Doosan Bears and the Hanwha Eagles at Jamsil Stadium on the 24th. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Hanwha starter Ponce roars after hitting Doosan's Yang Seok-hwan to the third base. Jamsil = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.07.24/
In the two games, Hanwha had one win and one draw. In the Weiss game, he turned the game around in the top of the fifth inning and won a lucky victory with a rain cold. In Ponce's game, they drew 4-4.

Luck can't follow forever. In the end, in order for Hanwha to have a more stable No. 1 run, the batting lineup, which ranks fourth in team batting average (27.74 percent) and fifth in OPS (0.771 percent), must revive. Whether it is the awakening of young blood who is performing vigorously under the leadership of head coach Kim Kyung-moon or the revival of the above-described FA, it is essential to see Hanwha's regular season win and further up the road.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.