Is Lee Min-woo the New Hope for Hanwha Eagles’ Bullpen Amid Kim Seo-hyun’s Struggles?
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Right-hander Kim Seo-hyun of the Hanwha Eagles, who returned after a brief regrouping period, was optioned to the minors just six days after his comeback.
Control Issues Send Kim Seo-hyun Back to Minors
Hanwha removed Kim Seo-hyun from the club’s first-team roster on May 13 ahead of a matchup with the Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome and added starter Wilkel Hernandez to the roster that day.
Last year Kim served as Hanwha’s closer, recording 33 saves with a 3.14 ERA. This season, though, he’s struggled consistently since Opening Day.
Across 12 appearances he’s 1-2 with one save and a 12.38 ERA. He has five strikeouts in eight innings but has issued 15 walks, a clear sign of control trouble. His WHIP is an alarming 3.00.
WHIP—Walks plus Hits per Inning Pitched—measures how many baserunners a pitcher allows per inning on average. A 3.00 WHIP means Kim has been allowing roughly three baserunners every inning he’s worked.
Through 11 appearances last month he was 1-2 with one save and a 9.00 ERA, mired in poor form. On April 14 in Daegu against the Samsung Lions, he entered in the eighth with two outs and runners on first and second and issued seven free passes in one inning, yielding three runs.
Hanwha removed him from the first-team roster on April 27 to let him regroup. He returned on May 7 after ten days, but continued to look unsettled.
On May 7 against the KIA Tigers, Kim entered the bottom of the ninth with an 11-4 lead and failed to record an out, allowing two hit-by-pitches, one walk and two hits before being replaced. He hasn’t appeared in a game since.
Manager Kim Kyung-moon had reportedly promised Kim three chances, but after Kim didn’t appear in four straight games the club ultimately sent him back to the minors.
“If he convinces himself that he’s fixing his mechanics, we can talk with the coaches,” Kim told reporters. “If he can’t, it becomes tough. He’s been losing command on the mound, so I told him to go down to the minors and take the time he needs.”
New Hope in Hanwha’s Bullpen: Lee Min-woo
With Owen White’s replacement Cushing sidelined and Kim Seo-hyun struggling, Hanwha’s bullpen was under stress. But recent performances from Lee Min-woo have provided a spark.
On May 12 at Gocheok, Lee came in to close the ninth with Hanwha leading 11-5 and retired the side in order to seal the win.
Lee has appeared in 12 games this season, posting a 1-0 record with two holds and a 2.40 ERA. His average fastball sits at 143.2 km/h (about 89.0 mph), the slowest among Hanwha’s right-handed relievers—an unconventional profile for a late-inning option who isn’t an overpowering thrower.
He does, however, limit free passes; Lee issues just 2.40 walks per nine innings, the second-lowest on the club behind Ryu Hyun-jin. He records only 3.00 strikeouts per nine—the fewest on the roster—but relies on throwing strikes and inducing quick ground-ball outs.
Hanwha’s Momentum — Facing a Pitching Crisis Head-On
Hanwha has leaned on its offense to overcome pitching gaps. On May 12 at Gocheok Sky Dome against the Kiwoom Heroes, the Eagles pounded 17 hits, highlighted by Noh Si-hwan’s first-inning grand slam, and won 11-5. The victory lifted Hanwha from seventh into a tie for sixth.
Early in the season Hanwha’s pitching woes dropped the club to ninth. In the April 14 game against the Samsung Lions, the team issued 18 walks—setting a KBO single-game record for most walks in a game.
Still, the lineup has heated up recently, scoring 11 runs against the KIA Tigers on May 7 and another 11 against the LG Twins on May 9, producing 51 runs over their last five games.
Ryu Hyun-jin, who notched his 199th career win across Korea and MLB, said, “Because the runs came early, I could pitch comfortably. We didn’t win because of me — the hitters put up the runs.”
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