Seoul: The Hanwha Eagles have set a South Korean baseball record for most strikeouts by a team in a single season. Through Sunday’s games in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), the Eagles achieved a total of 1,219 strikeouts, surpassing the previous record of 1,199 set by the Lotte Giants in 2022.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the Eagles’ success is largely due to the performances of their leading pitchers, Cody Ponce and Ryan Weiss. Ponce made history on September 3 by breaking the single-season strikeout record with 236 strikeouts, surpassing the 225 set by Ariel Miranda in 2021. Meanwhile, Weiss ranks fourth in the league with 185 strikeouts, exceeding last season’s league-leading total by Kyle Hart of the NC Dinos.

Additional contributions come from starter Moon Dong-ju, who has 130 strikeouts over 117 1/3 innings, and veteran pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin, who has added 109 strikeouts in 128 1/3 innings. Reliever Jeong Woo-joo boasts a high strikeout rate, with 72 strikeouts in just 45 2/3 innings, while closer Kim Seo-hyeon has recorded 66 strikeouts in 60 innings.

The Eagles are leading the league with an average of 9.28 strikeouts per nine innings, which is nearly one strikeout better than the SSG Landers. They also have the lowest team ERA at 3.53 and lead in walks and hits per inning pitched with 1.28. Their opponents’ on-base plus slugging percentage is .682, second only to the Landers’ .681.

Currently in second place in the standings, the Eagles hold a win-loss-tie record of 76-53-3, trailing the first-place LG Twins by 3 1/2 games with 12 games remaining. The team is on track for its first postseason appearance since 2018.