Hanwha Eagles

History

Founded in 1985 as the Binggrae Eagles (Binggrae was the then-trademark of Hanwha's confectionery branch),Bulley, Jim. "A brief history of KBO franchise names," Korea JoongAng Daily (14 November 2018). they debuted in 1986 as the seventh franchise of the league. Japanese-born pitcher Jang Myeong-bu went 1–18 with a 4.98 ERA in the 1986 season. The team went 31–76 overall in 1986, and Jang retired after the season.

The Eagles made it to the Korean Series four times in their first seven years of existence (in 1988, 1989, 1991, and 1992), losing each time. In 1993, the club changed its name to Hanwha Eagles after Binggrae's separation from Hanwha conglomerate.

Pitchers Song Jin-woo and Jung Min-cheul were the team's one-two punch through the 1990s and much of the 2000s. Song played for the team for 21 seasons, between and . He currently holds several KBO pitching records, including his 210 wins, 2,048 strikeouts, and 3,003 innings pitched. He is the only pitcher in KBO League history to win 200 games, and the only one to strike out 2,000 or more batters. Jung, for his part, played 16 seasons for the Eagles (1992–1999 and 2002–2009). He won at least ten games for the team for eight straight seasons, from 1992 through 1999.

The club was renowned for its slugging percentage from the late 1990s to the early 2000s, nicknamed the "Dynamite Bats" in reference to explosive products under one of Hanwha's main business lines. The 1999 championship team was led by American imports Dan Rohrmeier and Jay Davis, as well as Koreans Song Ji-man and Chang Jong-hoon, and had a slugging percentage of .487, the highest team total in KBO League history.

The Eagles made it back to the Korean Series in 2006, again falling short. The Eagles did not make the KBO playoffs for eleven years, from 2008 through 2017, despite going through five managers during that time, including the KBO's two winningest managers, Kim Eung-ryong (2013–2014) and Kim Sung-keun (2015–2017).

Han Yong-duk was hired as Eagles' manager in 2018 (he had been a caretaker manager for the team in 2012), and in his first full season he succeeded in bringing the team to the postseason for the first time since 2007. On 7 June 2020, however, Han resigned as manager after a 14th straight loss, and was replaced by the team's minor league manager (and former television announcer), Choi Won-ho. The team also revamped its roster, sending ten players to the minor-league KBO Futures League team — including veterans An Young-myung, Jang Si-hwan, Lee Tae-yang, Song Kwang-min, and Lee Sung-yul — and bringing up nine players to the KBO League team. After tying the record for the KBO's longest losing streak at 18, on 14 June 2020, the Eagles escaped a 19th-straight defeat after a long struggle: Hanwha won a suspended game against Doosan Bears thanks to Roh Tae-hyung's walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth inning.

On 27 November 2020, Carlos Subero was announced as the Eagles' new manager. Under his leadership, however, the Eagles finished in last place for two consecutive seasons. After enduring two difficult years, the club sacked Subero midway through the 2023 season and reappointed Choi Won-ho. Choi's second stint as manager was also short-lived, as he resigned in May 2024. Shortly afterward, the Eagles signed a three-year contract with Kim Kyung-moon.

Logos and uniforms

Season-by-season records

Personnel

Current lineup

Managers

• Bae Seong-seo (1986–1987)
• Kim Yeong-duk (1988–1992)
• Kang Byeong-cheol (1993–1998)
• Lee Hui-su (1998–2000)
• Lee Kwang-hwan (2001–2002)
• Yu Seung-an (2003–2004)
• Kim In-sik (2005–2009)
• Han Dae-hwa (2010–2012)
• Han Yong-duk (2012) (caretaker)
• Kim Eung-ryong (2013–2014)
• Kim Sung-keun (2015–2017)
• Lee Sang-gun (2017) (caretaker)
• Han Yong-duk (2018–2020)
• Choi Won-ho (2020) (caretaker)
• Carlos Subero (2020–2023)
• Choi Won-ho (2023–2024)
• Kim Kyung-moon (2024–present)

Retired numbers

The Eagles have four retired numbers on their roster. Those are for the infielders Chang Jong-hoon (35) and Kim Tae-kyun (52), and the pitchers Jung Min-cheul (23) and Song Jin-woo (21).

References

;General

• {{cite web |access-date=8 September 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-date=8 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170908201402/http://www.koreabaseball.com/TeamRank/TeamRank.aspx ;Specific

References

1. (20 January 2025). "Hanwha Eagles christen new stadium Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark".
2. [http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2899402 "Korean baseball’s old-timers rack up the records,"] ''JoongAng Daily''. Accessed on 4 January 2009.
3. [https://www.koreabaseball.com/record/player.asp?player_id=89770# koreabaseball.com Song Jin-Woo player page] Accessed on 4 January 2009.
4. KANG YOO-RIM. [https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2019/09/22/Baseball/Doosans-Yoo-Heekwan-joins-list-of-lefty-legends/3068195.html "Doosan’s Yoo Hee-kwan joins list of lefty legends,"] ''Korea JoongAng Daily'' (22 September 2019).
5. Viquez, Marc. [https://news.sportslogos.net/2020/06/19/getting-to-know-korean-baseball-teams-uniforms-and-logos/ "Getting to Know Korean Baseball Teams, Uniforms, and Logos,"] ''Chris Creamer's SportsLogos.net'' (19 June 2020).
6. Kim, Seyoung-hoon. [http://star.ohmynews.com/NWS_Web/OhmyStar/at_pg.aspx?CNTN_CD=A0002475666&CMPT_CD=P0010 "Hanwha advances to Postseason, Solved 11 Years Old,"] ''OhMyStar'' (29 September 2018).
7. Yonhap. [https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20200608000156 "KBO's Hanwha Eagles name interim manager during 14-game slide,"] ''The Korea Herald'' (8 June 2020).
8. [https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20200609001500315 Last-place KBO club demotes 10 players to minors,"] Yonhap News Agency (9 June 2020).
9. [https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20200609011400315 "KBO's Hanwha Eagles suffer 15th straight loss,"] ''Yonhap News Agency'' (9 June 2020).
10. Yonhap. [https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20200612000738 "Hanwha Eagles lose 18th straight to tie all-time KBO record,"] ''The Korea Herald'' (12 June 2020).
11. Moo, Lee-seok. [https://www.edaily.co.kr/news/read?newsId=01200486625801720&mediaCodeNo=258 "Hanwha Eagles 18 consecutive losses after two days of competition,"] ''eDaily'' (14 June 2020).
12. (22 November 2020). "Ex-MLB coach Carlos Subero named new manager for KBO's Eagles".
13. Yoo, Jee-ho. (12 May 2023). "KBO club's new manager trying to lay groundwork for long-term success".
14. Yoo, Jee-ho. (3 June 2024). "Hanwha Eagles manager looks to quench thirst for title with new club".
15. (11 May 2023). "Hanwha Eagles fire manager Carlos Subero, promote minor league skipper Choi Won-ho".
16. (2 June 2024). "KBO club Eagles hire Olympic gold medal-winning skipper Kim Kyung-moon as new manager".