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Perennial doormat, Hanwha Eagles on early roll

All News 10:26 April 27, 2015

SEOUL, April 27 (Yonhap) -- Don't look now, but the Hanwha Eagles, a longtime doormat in the top South Korean baseball league, are actually winning more games than they're losing.

The Eagles have finished dead last in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) League for the past three years running and four times in the past five seasons. Yet 22 games into 2015, the Eagles are two games above .500 at 12-10, putting them in a tie for fourth with the SK Wyverns.

The last time the Eagles were at or above .500 this deep into the season was back in 2009: They had 10 wins, 10 losses and two ties after 22 games that year.

They swept the Wyverns at home over the weekend in their first meeting of 2015. It was the Eagles' first three-game sweep in two years and the first sweep against the Wyverns since May 2006.

Manager Kim Sung-keun, who took over the Eagles last fall, once managed the Wyverns to three championships. Yet after Sunday's 5-4 victory, he said he didn't want to put too much stock into beating his former club.

"The most important thing is we proved that we won't be intimidated against anyone," Kim said. "I can tell by the look in our players' eyes. At first, I felt that they wanted to win. Now, I can see that they have more confidence that they can win."

Kim said he had an extra dose of motivation facing the Wyverns, not simply because he once managed that team but because the Wyverns had long had the Eagles' number.

From 2012 to 2014, the Wyverns had 34 wins, 12 losses and two ties against the Eagles. Based on their recent meeting, things might be a tad different this year.

Kim said the goal is to play .500 baseball against as many opponents as possible.

"Once we start struggling against certain clubs, it will be hard to make up the ground," the manager added. "That's all the more reason why we want to beat good clubs. And players need to enjoy that thrill of upsetting the favorites."

Though 122 games still remain, Kim's players have done their part to stay above .500. Only the Lotte Giants have a superior head-to-head record against the Eagles.

Kim will receive more reinforcement in the coming weeks, as injured veterans, such as catcher Cho In-sung and relief pitcher Yun Kyu-jin, are nearing returns, as are utility man Song Kwang-min and pitcher Song Eun-beom, who were demoted to the minors after a slow start.

Manager Kim gave kudos to the ones who grinded out victories in those players' absences.

"We had injuries to many key players and other guys filled the void admirably," he said. "I wanted a team that could stay on its feet without a couple of players, and our guys have weathered the storm early in the season."

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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