After 7 Years, Hanwha Chairman Treats Fans for Postseason Return

Padded Blankets Gifted to 17,000 Fans at the Stadium
"We Want to Embrace Our Fans with Warmth, Just Like a Blanket"

The Hanwha Eagles, who have advanced to the postseason stage for the first time in seven years, delivered a meaningful gift to their fans.

The Hanwha club announced that on the 17th, it presented a specially made "padded blanket" to all 17,000 fans who visited Hanwha Life Ballpark in Daejeon for Game 1 of the playoffs against the Samsung Lions. The blanket cover features the phrase, "The Eagles' autumn has returned! The stars are you, our fans," along with the signature of Kim Seungyeon, chairman of Hanwha Group and the club owner.

On the 27th of last month, baseball fans filled the seats to watch the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League game between the LG Twins and the Hanwha Eagles at the Hanwha Life Ballpark in Daejeon. Photo by Yonhap News

The club explained, "Chairman Kim Seungyeon's gratitude is reflected in his wish to 'embrace the fans who have passionately supported the Hanwha Eagles with warmth, like a blanket.' It also carries the message of encouragement to move forward together toward winning the Korean Series."

Chairman Kim Seungyeon also prepared a gift for fans during Hanwha's last postseason appearance in 2018. At that time, the club stated that, despite Chairman Kim's passionate support, the team had not reached the postseason for a long time, which left him feeling both grateful and indebted to the fans. "We prepared a rose as a small token of appreciation for the Eagles fans who waited 11 years," the club said, placing a single rose on every seat in the stadium.

Hanwha finished this regular season in second place with 83 wins, 4 draws, and 57 losses, returning to the postseason stage after seven years. This marks the first time Hanwha has achieved 80 wins since the Binggrae era in 1992, when the team recorded 81 wins, 2 draws, and 43 losses-33 years ago. By advancing directly to the playoffs for the first time in seven years since 2018, Hanwha is now aiming for the Korean Series title. Over the past three years, Hanwha has invested 50.6 billion won, focusing on signing major free agents such as Ryu Hyunjin (8 years, 17 billion won), Eom Sangbaek (7.8 billion won), and Shim Woojun (5 billion won).

Returning to the postseason after a long absence, Hanwha is aiming for its first Korean Series appearance in 19 years since 2006, and its first championship in 26 years since 1999. Game 1 of the playoffs, originally scheduled for the 17th, was canceled due to rain and will be held again at Hanwha Life Ballpark in Daejeon on the afternoon of the 18th. For Game 1 on the 18th, Hanwha's starting pitcher is Cody Ponce, while Samsung will start Herisson Garabito.