In the end, what happened on the night of May 11th was a sacrifice for today. I understand the people who made him leave, and I understand the words he spoke before he left.
It was the night of May 11th. Hanwha had beaten Samsung 4-0 in Daejeon. They finished their midweek home three-game series with a 2-1 record and a sweep. What’s more, their May record was 5-2 at the time. However, CEO Park Chan-hyuk and head coach Son Hyuk sacked head coach Carlos Suvero.
The move was heavily criticized by some fans. They said that the timing and manner of the firing was not smooth. However, the Hanwha front 메이저사이트 office remained steadfast. While the 2022-2023 free agent signings of Chae Eun-sung, Lee Tae-yang, and Oh Sun-jin made a strong statement about their commitment to winning, there was a sense that Subae-ro continued to play “experimental baseball. There was also skepticism about the extreme defensive shift.
The biggest change under Choi Won-ho is that Hanwha’s winning formula is starting to look clearer. The batting order is almost fixed: Lee Jin-young, Kim In-hwan, Noh Si-hwan, Nick Williams, Chae Eun-sung, and Moon Hyun-bin. The strategy is to acknowledge the weaknesses of the bottom of the order and maximize production from the table-setters and center fielders.
On the mound, new foreign pitchers Ricardo Sanchez and Felix Peña, as well as special rookie Moon Dong-ju, are the clear 1-3 starters. The bullpen also has a winning formula, with Kang Jae-min, Kim Bum-soo, Yoon Dae-kyung, and Joo Hyun-sang, anchored by closer Park Sang-won. What they lack in experience, veteran Jung Woo-ram makes up for.
With their recent eight-game winning streak, Hanwha has proven that their winning formula works. The starting pitchers are pitching well and the center fielders are hitting. And the pitching duo protected a tight lead. The division of labor and roles are clearly established.
During the three-game series against the Changwon NC on March 23-25, he talked a lot about his operating philosophy. He said that the batting order is most effective when it is fixed as much as possible, that he plays baseball with one more base, but that he has to be selective according to the characteristics of the batters, and that if a pitcher is not good, he should not be used, but should be given enough time to improve and have a Plan B in place. In the end, he was talking about the conditions for playing winning baseball as reliably as possible in the reality of the Hanwha first team, and the eight-game winning streak proved it to some extent.
It would be absurd to say that Choi Won-ho changed everything. You have to admit that Subero basically planted the field for two years. However, we also have to recognize that Choi has been able to quickly overhaul and refine a rough field. His experience as an acting head coach in 2020 and his experience as a second-team coach in the past two years. He knows the capabilities of Hanwha’s players better than Subero.
In a way, this is the most important moment, as the eight-game winning streak has been snapped. One of the main roles of a manager is to minimize winning streak fatigue and keep the team in shape so they don’t go on long losing streaks. That’s how Hanwha is moving away from rebuilding baseball, experimental baseball, and becoming a normal, average team. A professional first team is supposed to play winning baseball, and Hanwha hasn’t been able to do that for too long.
The Hanwha front office’s firing of Subero was brutal, but in hindsight, it was necessary and appropriate. Paradoxically, Subero’s departure from Korea proved to be right on the money when he said, “Hanwha fans will have a day to laugh.”
