It was a strong wind. Hanwha had their winning streak snapped with a 1-2 loss to Samsung in Daegu on the 2nd, but their position in the overall standings battle has changed with an eight-game winning streak prior to that. For a team that only a few weeks ago had a top priority of breaking away from the pack, Hanwha is riding a wave of momentum that can be seen as a positive.토스카지노
For now, the winning streak, which was boosted by the morale and mood of the players, is over and they are back to square one. Therefore, Hanwha’s future races will depend on the actual strength of the team. However, it is not easy to objectively determine the level of their current strength and determine their expected win rate.
There is one encouraging indicator.
After three days, Hanwha is in eighth place with a winning percentage of 0.449 (31 wins, 4 draws, 38 losses). However, after a tumultuous April that began with an injury to foreign pitcher Butch Smith, who was projected as an ace before the season, the team has performed very well since May, when it found its footing.
Hanwha’s winning percentage slumped to 0.261 (6 W, 1 D, 17 L) in the month of April, but in the nearly two months since May, the team has posted a winning percentage of 0.543 (25 W, 3 D, 21 L) in 49 games. In the same period, they ranked third behind LG (32W2D16L) and SSG (30W1D19L). While there is a gap between them and the top two this season, it can be interpreted that they are at least keeping pace with the other seven teams.
May is when Hanwha added foreign pitcher Ricardo Sanchez to its starting rotation. Once Sanchez became an integral part of the starting rotation alongside established foreign pitcher Felix Peña, Hanwha was able to settle into a steady race despite the lack of offence. Add to that the addition of new foreign hitter Nick Williams late last month, and the line-up is starting to look more cohesive.
If Hanwha can maintain their form from May onwards, they shouldn’t have any trouble realising their dream of playing autumn baseball together again for the first time in five years after 2018. In that span, Hanwha has posted the third-best team ERA (3.72) and ninth-best team batting average (0.250), but their team OPS is not bad at fifth (0.701).
Hanwha’s Chae Eun-sung is greeted in the dugout after scoring a run. Yonhap News
However, there are always variables. Injury management along with the pace of the main players in the team is bound to be the primary variable, and the flow of other teams outside the top two, such as LG and SSG, is a secondary variable.
In the end, baseball is a game that divides the last spot in the season by ‘relative evaluation’. If a better team comes along, they will be forced to take a back seat.
This is where the recent performances of KT and Kiwoom could have an impact on Hanwha’s battle for the top spot. Both KT and Kiwoom, who were regarded as safe top-five favourites before the season, have finally shaken off their early-season slumps. KT has a winning percentage of 0.680 (17 W, 8 L) since June, while Kiwoom has a winning percentage of 0.600 (15 W, 2 D, 10 L) since June.
Aside from Samsung, which has fallen to the bottom of the table, NC, Lotte, Doosan and even KIA, which has slipped to ninth place, are currently in the third to fifth place group and will be looking to make a run for the rest of the season.
So after this year’s summer races, it’s going to be a battle of pacing and using the power each team has wisely. It will be interesting to see if Hanwha can maintain their consistency since May.