It was not perfect. Still, it was his first win. Eom Sang-baek (Hanwha Eagles) smiled after hardships.

Um Sang-baek took the mound as Hanwha's starting pitcher in a home game against the NC Dinos in the 2025 professional baseball KBO League at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the 18th.메이저놀이터

He got off to a good start. In the top of the first inning, he turned around Park Min-woo (left-handed fly) and Kim Joo-won (right-handed fly). Son Ah-seop and Oh Young-soo had hits to left in succession, but Kwon Hee-dong was put to rest with a fly to shortstop. In the top of the second inning, he calmly collected an out count against Kim Hui-jip (three strikeouts), Seo Ho-cheol (right-handed fly), and Kim Hyung-joon (striker grounder) to complete his first three-out inning.

His first run came in the top of the third inning. He struck out Shin, but Park Min-woo's pitch and Kim Joo-won's right-handed hits pushed him to the first and third bases with one out, and allowed Son to hit a timely RBI single to the right. Soon after, Oh was induced to fly to the center field with two outs and third base, which led to Son's tag-out to the second base, and he did not allow any additional runs.

The first half of the fourth inning was neat. Kwon Hee-dong (ground ball to second baseman), Kim Hui-jip (center fielder fly), and Seo Ho-cheol (ground ball to third baseman) were all caught.

The final crisis approached at the top of the fifth inning. He dedicated a timely RBI single to Park Min-woo with runners on the first and second bases with no outs, which led to Kim Hyung-joon's walk and Chun Jae-hwan's hit to the right. Kim then cooked with a strikeout, but gave up a timely two-run double to the left. Fortunately, Oh Young-soo and Kwon Hee-dong were grounded out to pitchers and shortstop, completing his duties without allowing any additional runs.

The final result was seven hits, two outs and three strikeouts, and four runs in five innings. The total number of pitches he pitched was 89. Coming down the mound with his team leading 7-4, Um enjoyed the joy of becoming a winning pitcher as the Hanwha Eagles beat him 12-4.

Hanwha Um Sang-baek sprays the ball against Daejeon NC on the 18th. Photo = Courtesy of Hanwha
Eom Sang-baek, who was called by the KT Wiz as the first designated pitcher in 2015, is a right-handed sidearm pitcher who boasts fast fastballs and various breaking balls. He had 45 wins, 44 losses, three saves and 28 holds average ERA of 4.82 in 305 games (764.1 innings) until last year. In particular, in the 2024 season, he played 29 games (156.2 innings) with 13 wins and 10 losses and a 4.88 ERA, setting a new record for the most wins in a season since his debut.

In November last year, Hanwha acquired Um Sang-baek at a four-year maximum of 7.8 billion won (3.4 billion won or 3.25 billion won or 3.25 billion won or 1.15 billion won or 1.15 billion won or 11.25 billion won or 11.25 million won or 11.25 million won or 11.25 million won or 11.25 million won or 11.25 million won or 11.25 million won or 11.25 million won or 11.5 million won or 11.5 million won or 11.5 million won or.

Since then, Um has played well in off-season spring camps and exhibition games, but has not shown any significant performance since the regular season. Prior to the match against NC Dinosaurs in Daejeon on Wednesday, he played in three games (10.2 innings), lost three, and had an ERA of 6.75, which was so sluggish that he could hardly play in five innings even once.

He certainly wasn't perfect on the day, either. He was overwhelmed by batters, receiving seven hits and allowing two walks, which shook his ball control. Still, he didn't collapse, and finally, he was able to face the victory of Ma Su-gul for the first time since moving to Hanwha in this season. Eom Sang-baek provided an opportunity for a rebound.