Hanwha Eagles’ Ahn Chi-hong (33), who ended his team’s losing streak with a dramatic walk-off single in the top of the ninth inning, celebrates the victory.
Ahn Chi-hong started at third base and went 1-for-3 with a home run, one RBI, and two walks, including the game-winning hit, against the NC Dinos in the 2024 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at NC Park in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do. Hanwha rode Ahn’s performance to a 7-4 victory over NC to snap a three-game losing streak.
Hanwha struggled in the middle innings of the game. The bats were stifled by NC starter Kim Si-hoon and starter Moon Dong-joo received no defensive help, allowing three runs (one earned) in 5.1 innings.
However, Hanwha started to turn it on in the seventh inning. In the top of the seventh, Jonathan Peraza and Roh Si-hwan hit back-to-back RBI singles to make it a 4-3 game. In the bottom of the seventh, Kwon Hee-dong gave up an RBI single to tie the game, but in the top of the ninth, Ahn Chi-hong hit the game-winning RBI single, Kim Tae-yeon was hit by a pitch, and Choi Jae-hoon hit an RBI sacrifice fly.
After the game, Ahn Chi-hong, who was named the game’s No. 1 offensive player, said, “The team was on a losing streak, so the flow was not good and the atmosphere was sagging. I’m glad I was able to get the game-winning hit in this situation,” said Ahn.
Ahn hit a seven-pitch forkball from NC closer Lee Yong-chan for the winning run. “I didn’t wait for the forkball,” he said, “I was looking high on the course. I was looking high on the pitch, and I thought, ‘Don’t just hit a low ball. There was a runner on third base, so I knew I had to hit something that would get over the infield, and I think that’s why I got a good pitch.”
Hanwha had recently been struggling with the departure of veteran players, and the losses of starting shortstop Ha Joo-seok and captain Chae Eun-sung were particularly 스포츠토토 devastating for the team.
“With the loss of some players, the younger players seemed to be under a lot of pressure,” says Ahn Chi-hong. The seniors are talking to them a lot so that they can be proactive. Personally, I’m also trying to focus on what I can do and not be influenced by the situation, as I think I can hold the center.”
Ahn joined Hanwha as a free agent ahead of this season, signing a 4+2-year contract totaling 7.2 billion won. “Hanwha is a really good team. They are attractive. They have a lot of atmosphere, but I think it will be fine as the season goes on. If you catch the ups and downs, you can always rise to the occasion. We’ve experienced that early on, so I’m confident that we’ll be good enough to make up for it.”