History of Hanwha Eagles in Timeline

The Hanwha Eagles are a professional baseball team from Daejeon, South Korea, competing in the KBO League. Their home stadium is Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark. The Eagles have achieved one Korean Series title (1999) and two league pennants. As of 2024, they've reached the postseason 13 times and finished as Korean Series runner-up on five occasions.

1985: Team Founding

In 1985, the team was founded as the Binggrae Eagles, representing Hanwha's confectionery branch's trademark.

1986: League Debut

In 1986, the Binggrae Eagles debuted as the seventh franchise of the league. Japanese-born pitcher Jang Myeong-bu had a 1–18 record with a 4.98 ERA in the 1986 season. The team's overall record was 31–76 in 1986, and Jang retired after the season.

1988: Korean Series Appearance

In 1988, the Eagles made it to the Korean Series, but lost.

1989: Song Jin-woo Joins the Team

In 1989, Song Jin-woo began playing for the Hanwha Eagles and played for 21 seasons until 2009.

1989: Korean Series Appearance

In 1989, the Eagles made it to the Korean Series, but lost.

1991: Korean Series Appearance

In 1991, the Eagles made it to the Korean Series, but lost.

1992: Jung Min-cheul Joins the Team

From 1992, Jung Min-cheul played 16 seasons for the Eagles (1992–1999 and 2002–2009).

1992: Korean Series Appearance

In 1992, the Eagles made it to the Korean Series, but lost.

1993: Team Name Change

In 1993, the club changed its name to Hanwha Eagles after Binggrae's separation from the Hanwha conglomerate.

1999: Jung Min-cheul's Eighth Consecutive Season with at Least Ten Wins

From 1992 through 1999, Jung Min-cheul won at least ten games for the team for eight straight seasons, with 1999 being the last of those seasons.

1999: Championship Season and Nickname

From the late 1990s to the early 2000s, the club was known for its slugging percentage and was nicknamed the "Dynamite Bats". The 1999 championship team, led by Dan Rohrmeier, Jay Davis, Song Ji-man, and Chang Jong-hoon, had a slugging percentage of .487, the highest in KBO League history.

1999: Korean Series Championship

In 1999, the Hanwha Eagles won the Korean Series. The team has also won the league pennant twice.

2002: Jung Min-cheul Re-joins Eagles

In 2002, Jung Min-cheul re-joined the Eagles and played until 2009, after playing for the team from 1992-1999.

2006: Korean Series Appearance

In 2006, the Eagles made it back to the Korean Series, but again lost.

2007: Previous Postseason Appearance

Han Yong-duk succeeded in bringing the team to the postseason for the first time since 2007 in 2018.

2008: Playoff Drought Begins

From 2008, the Eagles did not make the KBO playoffs for eleven years, going through five managers during that time.

2009: Song Jin-woo's Last Season

2009 was Song Jin-woo's last season with the Hanwha Eagles, after playing for the team for 21 seasons since 1989.

2012: Han Yong-duk as Caretaker Manager

In 2012, Han Yong-duk was a caretaker manager for the team, before being hired as manager in 2018.

2013: Kim Eung-ryong Manages Eagles

Kim Eung-ryong, one of the KBO's winningest managers, managed the Eagles from 2013-2014.

2014: Kim Eung-ryong Manages Eagles

Kim Eung-ryong, one of the KBO's winningest managers, managed the Eagles from 2013-2014.

2015: Kim Sung-keun Manages Eagles

Kim Sung-keun, one of the KBO's winningest managers, managed the Eagles from 2015-2017.

2017: End of Playoff Drought

2017 was the last year of the eleven-year KBO playoff drought for the Eagles.

2018: Han Yong-duk Hired as Manager

In 2018, Han Yong-duk was hired as the Eagles' manager, bringing the team to the postseason for the first time since 2007.

June 2020: Managerial and Roster Changes

On 7 June 2020, Han Yong-duk resigned as manager after a 14th straight loss and was replaced by Choi Won-ho. Additionally, ten players were sent to the minor league KBO Futures League team, and nine players were brought up to the KBO League team. On 14 June 2020, after tying the KBO's longest losing streak at 18, the Eagles won a suspended game against Doosan Bears.