The KRW 5 billion effect found glory for the first time in 15 years...Will 10 Billion Investments Bring No. 1 Record in 18 Years

Nov 24, 2025

The KRW 5 billion effect found glory for the first time in 15 years...Will 10 Billion Investments Bring No. 1 Record in 18 Years
FA Kang Baek-ho signed a four-year total of 10 billion won contract with Hanwha Eagles on the 20th. Photo courtesy = Hanwha Eagles



The KRW 5 billion effect found glory for the first time in 15 years...Will 10 Billion Investments Bring No. 1 Record in 18 Years
The game between the Hanwha Eagles and the LG Twins in Game 4 of the Korean Series at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the 30th. Hanwha's Noh Si-hwan is taking a hit. Daejeon = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.10.30/
Will Hanwha Eagles be able to stand tall once again as a 'big gun corps'.

Hanwha completed a four-year contract with Kang Baek-ho on the 20th for a total of 10 billion won (5 billion won in down payment, 3 billion won in annual salary, and 2 billion won in incentives).

It was clear why Hanwha recruited Kang Baek-ho. This year, Hanwha ranked fourth with a team batting average of 266, but there were ups and downs. At the beginning of the season, he started the season at the bottom with a team batting average in the 10% range.




Ahead of this season, Hanwha signed a four-year contract with Shim Woo-joon for a total of 5 billion won. It aimed to strengthen the center line, and the effect was certain. This season, Hanwha had the fewest team errors (86). It is the first time in 15 years since he ranked first in at least 80 errors in 2010. In addition, he ranked first in the team's ERA (3.55).

Shim Woo-joon's addition created a competitive structure in the infield and led to shared growth.

The KRW 5 billion effect found glory for the first time in 15 years...Will 10 Billion Investments Bring No. 1 Record in 18 Years
The game between the Hanwha Eagles and the Lotte Giants at Hanwha Life Ballpark in Daejeon on the 12th. Shim Woo-joon and Lee Do-yoon are doing infield defensive training together. Daejeon = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2025.08.12/
Immediately after recruiting Kang Baek-ho, Hanwha manager Kim Kyung-moon said "If I tried to win by strengthening my defense this year, I want to show a little more active offense next year and show hot baseball to fans."."




Kang had only 15 home runs this season, but he hit 26 in his first year and 26 in 2024.

Coach Kim said, "(Kang) Baekho has met him in the national team, and he has really good qualities when it comes to offense. In fact, it can be said that you didn't get good grades in what you had. I think the batting average and home run will be a big help to the team."

This year, Hanwha ranked sixth with 116 team home runs. With Kang Baek-ho joining, Hanwha's batting lineup added more weight. While Noh Si-hwan topped the domestic batter's home run with 32 home runs this year, Chae Eun-sung (19 home runs), Moon Hyun-bin (12 home runs), Lee Jin-young (11 home runs) and Liberato (10 home runs) recorded double-digit home runs.




The KRW 5 billion effect found glory for the first time in 15 years...Will 10 Billion Investments Bring No. 1 Record in 18 Years
The game between the Hanwha Eagles and the LG Twins in Game 3 of the Korean Series at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the 29th. Hanwha's Noh Si-hwan is taking a hit. Daejeon = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.10.29/
The KRW 5 billion effect found glory for the first time in 15 years...Will 10 Billion Investments Bring No. 1 Record in 18 Years
The game between the Hanwha Eagles and the LG Twins in Game 5 of the Korean Series at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the 31st. Hanwha Chae Eun-sung is throwing a hit. Daejeon = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.10.31/
Hanwha is currently interested in foreign players who can hit more than 20. In the meantime, if Noh Si-hwan and Kang Baek-ho play their part in the lineup, home runs can be expected from all over the lineup. We can expect synergy beyond this season with the 'Umbrella Effect'.

Hanwha's last team home run was 2008, the only three-digit home run team in the league with 120 home runs. At that time, Kim Tae-kyun became the home run king with 31 home runs in Hanwha, and Kim Tae-wan (23), Duck Clark (22), and Lee Bum-ho (18 home runs) hit double-digit home runs. In 2009, he ranked second with 164, two shy of the top-ranked SK (166).

He opened his wallet with a clear direction and succeeded in advancing to the Korean Series for the first time in 19 years. Now is the time to see the weapon effect to erase the disappointment of the runner-up.



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.