Daejeon: Having dropped two straight road games against the LG Twins to begin the Korean Series, the Hanwha Eagles are returning home for what they hope will be the maximum three games in friendly confines.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the best-of-seven championship round in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) will be in the central city of Daejeon for Games 3 and 4 on Wednesday and Thursday, with a potential Game 5 on Friday if the Eagles manage to win at least one of the next two games.
The Twins secured their first two home wins at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul with scores of 8-2 and 13-5. Historically, only two teams out of 21 have overcome a 2-0 deficit to win the Korean Series title. The Eagles are aiming to replicate their regular-season home success at the new Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark to join this rare group.
The Eagles had the highest home winning percentage this season at 44-27-2. They won seven out of 16 regular-season games against the Twins, with five victories occurring in Daejeon. Cody Ponce, the Eagles' Game 3 starter, previously held the Twins to a run on four hits over six innings, striking out 10 in a regular-season home game.
Key relievers, including closer Kim Seo-hyeon, have effectively kept the Twins scoreless in previous matchups in Daejeon. Notably, Kim secured three saves over 5 2/3 scoreless innings against the Twins at home. From the lineup, Moon Hyun-bin and Roh Si-hwan have shown strong performances against the Twins in Daejeon, with Moon batting .357 and Roh .417, each contributing a home run.
Manager Kim Kyung-moon, despite over 1,000 regular-season wins, has yet to secure a Korean Series title and a home victory during the championship series. He was a runner-up with the Doosan Bears in 2005, 2007, and 2008, and with the NC Dinos in 2016. Kim's record stands at 3-18 in Korean Series games, including 0-10 in home games, with his last series win in 2008.