By Oh Sang-jin Reporter= Hanwha Eagles’ Ha Ju-seok (29), who made a critical error that cost the team the game, has been demoted to the second team.
Hanwha removed the infielder from its first-team roster ahead of its home game against the Samsung Lions at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon on Wednesday.
Ha, who was suspended for 70 games by the KBO after being caught driving under the influence last November, returned to the first team roster on July 11 after serving two games in the Futures League. Hanwha, which had closed the gap to fifth place by three games at the time, expected Ha to be a big addition to the team’s mid-table push.
However, in 25 games since his return to the first team, Ha has posted a meager .114 (4-for-35) batting average with two RBIs and a .327 OPS. In addition to his offensive struggles, Ha has also had problems on defense.스포츠토토
In a game against Samsung Electronics on April 22, Ha made a crucial mistake in the bottom of the ninth inning with a 2-1 lead when he failed to handle a grounder to first base by Samsung’s Ryu Ji-hyuk. The ball hit the inside of his glove and bounced, resulting in a throwing error. In the end, the inability to get the final out proved costly. Samsung’s bats rattled off three consecutive hits to make it a 2-5 game, and Hanwha got one run back in the bottom of the ninth on a home run by Lee Do-yoon, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a 3-5 loss.
In the end, Ha Joo-seok, who was unable to help the team both offensively and defensively, was sent to the second team. In his absence, outfielder Kwon Kwang-min was called up.