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Hanwha Eagles
한화 이글스
Hanwha Eagles 2025.svg Hanwha Eagles cap logo.png
Team logo Cap insignia
Information
League KBO League (1986–present)
Location Daejeon
Ballpark
  • Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark (2025–present)
  • Cheongju Baseball Stadium (1986–present)
Year established 1985; 40 years ago (1985)
League championships 1989, 1992
Korean Series championships 1999
Former name(s)
  • Binggrae Eagles (1986–1993)
Former ballparks Daejeon Hanbat Baseball Stadium (1986–2024)
Colors Orange, navy blue, grey and white
                   
Mascot Winnie, Vinnie, Soori and Hoodi
Retired numbers 21, 23, 35, 52
Ownership Kim Seung-youn
Manager Kim Kyung-moon

The Hanwha Eagles (한화 이글스) are a professional baseball team from South Korea. They are based in Daejeon and play in the KBO League. Their home field is the Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark. The Eagles have won the Korean Series once, in 1999. They have also won their league pennant two times. As of 2024, the Eagles have played in the postseason 13 times. They finished as runner-up in the Korean Series five times.

Team History

Early Years and Name Change

The team started in 1985 as the Binggrae Eagles. Binggrae was a company related to Hanwha. The team joined the KBO League in 1986 as the seventh team. In their first year, 1986, they had a tough season. They won 31 games and lost 76.

The Eagles reached the Korean Series four times in their first seven years. These were in 1988, 1989, 1991, and 1992. However, they lost each of those championship games. In 1993, the club changed its name to Hanwha Eagles. This happened after Binggrae separated from the Hanwha group of companies.

Star Players of the 1990s

Two amazing pitchers, Song Jin-woo and Jung Min-cheul, were key players for the team. They played through the 1990s and early 2000s. Song Jin-woo played for the Eagles 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 League history to win 200 games. He is also the only one to strike out 2,000 or more batters.

Jung Min-cheul played 16 seasons for the Eagles. He played from 1992 to 1999 and again from 2002 to 2009. He won at least ten games for the team for eight years in a row. This streak lasted from 1992 through 1999.

The "Dynamite Bats" Era

The club was famous for its powerful hitting from the late 1990s to the early 2000s. They were nicknamed the "Dynamite Bats." This name came from explosive products made by one of Hanwha's main businesses. The 1999 championship team was very strong. It included American players Dan Rohrmeier and Jay Davis. Korean stars Song Ji-man and Chang Jong-hoon were also on the team. This team had a slugging percentage of .487. This is the highest team total in KBO League history.

Recent Seasons and Changes

The Eagles returned to the Korean Series in 2006 but did not win. After 2007, the Eagles did not make the KBO playoffs for eleven years. This was from 2008 through 2017. During this time, they had five different managers.

Han Yong-duk became the Eagles' manager in 2018. He had been a temporary manager in 2012. In his first full season, he led the team to the postseason. This was their first time since 2007. However, on June 7, 2020, Han resigned after 14 straight losses. Choi Won-ho, the team's minor league manager, took over. The team also changed many players. They sent ten players to the minor league team and brought up nine new players. On June 14, 2020, the Eagles ended an 18-game losing streak. They won a game against the Doosan Bears with a special hit by Roh Tae-hyung.

On November 27, 2020, Carlos Subero was announced as the Eagles' new manager. In 2024, Kim Kyung-moon became the manager.

Team Logos and Uniforms

The Hanwha Eagles use different logos. Some are for their uniforms, and others are for their website.

Hanwha Eagles alternative logos (2025–present)
Hanwha Eagles text logo.png
Hanwha Eagles logo alt 2.png
Hanwha Eagles logo alt 3.png
Alternative text logo, also used in the uniforms Alternative logo, used on some cap hats, uniform details, and website Alternative text logo, used on the website and "Eagles" used on the uniforms

Team Personnel

Current Lineup

Team Managers

Here is a list of the managers who have led the Hanwha Eagles over the years:

  • 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) (temporary)
  • Kim Eung-ryong (2013–2014)
  • Kim Sung-keun (2015–2017)
  • Lee Sang-gun (2017) (temporary)
  • Han Yong-duk (2018–2020)
  • Choi Won-ho (2020) (temporary)
  • Carlos Subero (2020–2023)
  • Choi Won-ho (2023–2024)
  • Kim Kyung-moon (2024–present)

Retired Jersey Numbers

The Eagles have four special numbers that no other player can wear. These are called retired numbers. They honor great players from the team's past. The retired numbers belong to:

  • Chang Jong-hoon (number 35)
  • Kim Tae-kyun (number 52)
  • Jung Min-cheul (number 23)
  • Song Jin-woo (number 21)

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Hanwha Eagles para niños

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