Cheongunmanma returns to Hanwha's 7.2 billion FA, No. 1-designated hitter starts

Hanwha registered infielder An Chi-hong in the first division entry and canceled outfielder Lee Jin-young before the "2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League" game against the Lotte Giants at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 28th. An Chi-hong has been on the 10-day injured list since the 18th due to symptoms of leg discomfort.

The decision was made in consideration of Hanwha manager Kim Kyung-moon. Under the circumstances in which the Korean team is engaged in a fierce battle to advance to the semifinals, Kim hoped An Chi-hong would recover his injured area and return home by taking 10 days of sufficient rest. An Chi-hong treated the team well and accompanied the team on an away match in Busan with Kim's consideration, and joined the team's entry on the day.

Ahn Chi-hong was listed in the starting lineup as soon as he returned to the team. The Hanwha Eagles will select Ahn Chi-hong (designated hitter), Jonathan Ferraza (left fielder), Kim Tae-yeon (right fielder), Noh Si-hwan (third baseman), Chae Eun-seong (first baseman), Hwang Young-mook (second baseman), Choi Jae-hoon (captor), Lee Do-yoon ( shortstop), and Jang Jin-hyuk (midfielder).

"I think I'm playing today (28th) rather than the defense side, but I saw some pitchers, and the left side (Charlie Barnes) over there is a strong pitcher. That's why I placed him at No. 1," Kim said.

Ahead of this season, An Chi-hong drew high expectations as he signed a four-plus-year contract with Hanwha for a total of 7.2 billion won. An Chi-hong added weight to the batting average of 0.300 (122 hits in 406 at-bats), 12 homers, 58 RBIs and an OPS of 0.803 in 109 games.

Hanwha, ranking seventh, ended its three-game winning streak with a come-from-behind loss of 1-3 at the match against Lotte on Sunday. Fortunately, Hanwha was relieved that the fifth and sixth-ranked teams could not escape. The KT Wiz, ranking fifth, lost 1-6 to the LG Twins at Jamsil on Sunday, while the SSG Landers, ranking sixth, lost to the KIA Tigers in the fifth inning in Gwangju in a 4-10 rain game. Hanwha is trying to rebound by maintaining a one-game gap with KT and no match with SSG.

The Hanwha Eagles will stage a full-blown war on April 28 and 29, with Ryan Weiss and Jaime Barria as starting pitchers in succession. This was the result of adjusting the pitching interval for foreign pitchers to four days. "I think our foreign pitchers will play (against Lotte on April 28 and 29). It is not easy even if a foreign pitcher asks a starting pitcher if he can pitch one day earlier," Hanwha manager Kim Kyung-moon said.

"I'd appreciate it if the players willingly said, 'I'll throw it,' but they are also players whose bodies are important. Fortunately, both players said well, so we're preparing for it," he added.

Weiss pitched six innings against Doosan in Jamsil on the 23rd, the previous game, and recorded 87 pitches. The impact of the four-day rest is not expected to be significant because he managed by throwing fewer pitches than usual. Barria also threw only 67 pitches in five innings against Doosan in Jamsil on the 24th. Both pitchers are expected to take the mound in normal condition.

Hanwha was ready to go all out once again, pouring in foreign one-two punches and returning to the main hitter Chae Eun-sung, who was briefly away due to injury, and An Chi-hong returned healthy one after another.

BY: 토토사이트