I invested 7.8 billion won, but the manager's time to think about it is over, and will I find a solution to the winning challenge team

Jul 17, 2025

I invested 7.8 billion won, but the manager's time to think about it is over, and will I find a solution to the winning challenge team
The game between Hanwha and KIA at Hanwha Life Ballpark in Daejeon on the 9th. Hanwha starter Um Sang-baek, who is replaced after allowing an RBI double to KIA Kim Kyu-sung in the fourth inning. Daejeon =Reporter Song Jeong-heon@sportschosun.com/2025.07.09/



If the 5th starter is perfect, it will be a fast-paced victory. Will there be a change in how Hanwha Eagles pitchers are used in the second half of the year.

Pitcher Um Sang-baek, who signed an FA contract for up to 7.8 billion won for four years ahead of this season, has yet to show his true value. Hanwha, which is about to open a new ball park for Hanwha Life, has actively jumped into the FA market to strengthen its pitching power.

As a result, the players recruited were Um Sang-baek and Shim Woo-joon. He succeeded in reinforcing the shortstop, which was considered the weakest point in the infield, by bringing Shim Woo-joon in four years and 5 billion won, and his plan was to make the powerful starting rotation even more seamless. In fact, as Hanwha recruited Um Sang-baek, it is true that in addition to two foreign pitchers (Cody Ponce and Ryan Weiss), the league's strongest five-starter rotation has been completed, including Ryu Hyun-jin and Moon Dong-ju.




I invested 7.8 billion won, but the manager's time to think about it is over, and will I find a solution to the winning challenge team
NC-Hanwha match held at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the 3rd. As Um Sang-baek shook from the first inning, Ponce and Ryu Hyun-jin are watching with serious looks. Daejeon = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.7.3/
However, an unexpected variable occurred. The fact that Um Sang-baek's pitching this season is not very good. He started 29 games for his former team KT Wiz last year, just before acquiring FA qualifications, and recorded 13 wins, 10 losses and a 4.88 ERA. Thirteen wins are Um Sang-baek's most wins in a season since his professional debut. KT's rebound was also possible as he contributed enough to win a double-digit victory in the starting lineup.

As you can see from his performance, Um Sang-baek is not a starting pitcher with an ERA of 'one-two-punch class' or an inning ability. However, he has a lot of experience in the first team and has enough value of a stable 4th and 5th starting line that can consistently digest the rotation. This is why Hanwha invested a large amount of money.

However, Um Sang-baek's performance in the first half was coldly disappointing. It is shocking that there have been only two quality starts (more than six innings and three earned runs or less) out of 15 games with 1-6 losses and a 6.33.15 ERA. He went down to the second division for two weeks in mid-May and called up again with a realignment time, but there was no victory since then, and the best pitching was that he allowed two runs (losses) in six innings against the KIA Tigers on June 6. It was too much to fill five innings.




I invested 7.8 billion won, but the manager's time to think about it is over, and will I find a solution to the winning challenge team
NC-Hanwha match held at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the 3rd. Um Sang-baek, who allowed a timely hit to Kim Joo-won with two outs and runners on first and second bases in the top of the fourth inning, is being replaced. Daejeon = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.7.3/
Even when the important showdown continued at the end of the first half, Um Sang-baek came down without playing four innings. Three runs in three ⅔ innings against the NC Dinos on the 3rd and three runs in three ⅓ against KIA on the 9th. Hanwha solidified its sole lead by winning six consecutive games at the end of the first half, but Um Sang-baek is the last concern for the championship challenge.

Head coach Kim Kyung-moon also hinted that there could be a change in the hiring method in the second half of the year. Coach Kim met with reporters after the All-Star break and Um Sang-baek's appearance, saying, `I think if Sang-baek has confidence, he will have more strength in the team, and he will have more strength in the second halfWhile encouraging ", he said "If (Hwang) Junseo waited after Sangbaek, he had concerns in the second half of the year".

I invested 7.8 billion won, but the manager's time to think about it is over, and will I find a solution to the winning challenge team
The match between Hanwha and KIA at Hanwha Life Ballpark in Daejeon on the 10th. Hanwha starter Hwang Jun-seo, who left the mound with one out in the seventh inning. Daejeon = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2025.07.10/
In terms of his performance this season, it cannot be denied that Hwang Jun-seo, who is in his second year, is a more stable starting pitcher. Hwang Jun-seo took the mound against KIA on the 10th, the day after Um Sang-baek was replaced early on the 9th, and gave the best pitching with one run in six ⅓ innings.




If manager Kim Kyung-moon starts to use Hwang Joon-seo's card as a rotation in the second half, Um Sang-baek can change his use, such as playing a bullpen or a slightly longer rotation. However, it is also true that the FA pitcher, who invested a huge amount of 7.8 billion won, is not properly utilized in the first year of the contract. Hanwha's last concern to win the championship. It may vary depending on how to use the pennant race in the second half.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.