Hanwha Eagles facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hanwha Eagles |
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| 한화 이글스 | |||||
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| Information | |||||
| League | KBO League (1986–present) | ||||
| Location | Daejeon | ||||
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| Year established | 1985 | ||||
| League championships | 1989, 1992 | ||||
| Korean Series championships | 1999 | ||||
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| Former ballparks | Daejeon Hanbat Baseball Stadium (1986–2024) | ||||
| Colors | Orange, navy blue, grey and white |
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| Mascot | Winnie, Vinnie, Soori and Hoodi | ||||
| Retired numbers | 21, 23, 35, 52 | ||||
| Ownership | Kim Seung-youn | ||||
| Manager | Kim Kyung-moon | ||||
The Hanwha Eagles (Korean: 한화 이글스) are a professional baseball team from South Korea. They are based in the city of Daejeon and play in the top league, the KBO League. Their home stadium is the Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark. The Eagles have been to the playoffs 14 times. They won the big championship, the Korean Series, once in 1999. They also won their league's regular season title twice.
Contents
History of the Hanwha Eagles
The Start of the Eagles: Binggrae Eagles
The Hanwha Eagles team started in 1985. Back then, they were called the Binggrae Eagles. Binggrae was a company that made sweets and snacks. In 1986, they joined the KBO League as the seventh new team. One of their first pitchers, Jang Myeong-bu, had a tough first year. He retired after that season.
The Eagles quickly became a strong team. They reached the Korean Series championship four times in their first seven years. These were in 1988, 1989, 1991, and 1992. However, they didn't win the championship those times. In 1993, the team changed its name to the Hanwha Eagles. This happened because the Binggrae company became separate from the larger Hanwha group.
Star Players: Song Jin-woo and Jung Min-cheul
Two amazing pitchers, Song Jin-woo and Jung Min-cheul, were key players for the Eagles. They were a powerful duo throughout the 1990s and 2000s. Song Jin-woo played for the team for 21 seasons, from 1989 to 2009. He holds many KBO pitching records. These include 210 wins, 2,048 strikeouts, and 3,003 innings pitched. He is the only pitcher in KBO history to win 200 games. He is also the only one to strike out over 2,000 batters. Jung Min-cheul played for the Eagles for 16 seasons. He won at least ten games for eight years in a row, from 1992 to 1999.
The "Dynamite Bats" and a Championship
From the late 1990s to the early 2000s, the Eagles were famous for their powerful hitting. They were nicknamed the "Dynamite Bats." This name came from Hanwha's business of making explosive products. The 1999 team was especially strong. They won the championship that year! Key players included American stars Dan Rohrmeier and Jay Davis. Korean players like Song Ji-man and Chang Jong-hoon also helped a lot. That team had the highest slugging percentage ever in KBO League history.
The Eagles returned to the Korean Series in 2006 but did not win. After that, the team faced a tough period. They did not make the KBO playoffs for eleven years, from 2008 to 2017. Many different managers tried to help the team during this time.
Recent Years and New Managers
In 2018, Han Yong-duk became the Eagles' manager. He led the team to the playoffs for the first time since 2007. However, in June 2020, Han resigned after a long losing streak. Choi Won-ho took over as manager. The team also made big changes to its players. They sent some experienced players to the minor league team. They brought up new, younger players to the main KBO League team. In June 2020, the Eagles tied the KBO record for the longest losing streak, with 18 losses in a row. But they finally broke the streak! They won a game against the Doosan Bears with a special hit by Roh Tae-hyung.
Carlos Subero became the manager in November 2020. The team finished last for two seasons under him. He was replaced by Choi Won-ho again in 2023. Choi resigned in May 2024. Soon after, the Eagles hired Kim Kyung-moon as their new manager.
Team Logos and Uniforms
The Hanwha Eagles have different logos they use. Here are some of their alternative logos:
| Hanwha Eagles Alternative Logos (2025–Present) | ||
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| This text logo is also used on the team's uniforms. | This alternative logo is seen on some cap hats and uniform details. It's also on their website. | This text logo is used on the website. The word "Eagles" is also used on uniforms. |
Team Personnel
Current Team Lineup
Team Managers
Here is a list of the people who have managed the Hanwha Eagles team:
- 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 Jersey Numbers
The Eagles have honored four special players by retiring their jersey numbers. This means no other player on the team can wear these numbers.
- Song Jin-woo (number 21) - a pitcher
- Jung Min-cheul (number 23) - a pitcher
- Chang Jong-hoon (number 35) - an infielder
- Kim Tae-kyun (number 52) - an infielder
See also
In Spanish: Hanwha Eagles para niños
