Hanwha Eagles lose final home game at oldest KBO stadium

The Hanwha Eagles lost their final home game at the oldest stadium in the South Korean professional baseball league Sunday.

The Eagles fell to the NC Dinos 7-2 at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, some 140 kilometers south of Seoul, to finish off their 2024 Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season at 66-76-2 (wins-losses-ties).

Opened in 1964, the stadium had been the oldest ballpark in the KBO and also the smallest in the league with a capacity of 12,000. The KBO had its first season in 1982, and the Eagles joined the league in 1986. They have played all of their 2,213 regular-season games at the Daejeon stadium, recording 1,067 wins, 1,105 losses and 41 ties.

The Eagles will move into the brand new, 20,000-seat Daejeon Baseball Dream Park in 2025.

The Eagles missed the postseason for the sixth consecutive year in 2024, despite making a push and giving their famously loyal fan base hope.

The Eagles set a single-season sellout record with 47 this year, easily surpassing the previous mark of 36 set by the Samsung Lions in 1995.

With their one final sellout in Sunday's finale, the Eagles finished the season with a franchise record 804,204 fans at home.

Also on Sunday, veteran pitcher Jung Wooram appeared in the final game of his 20-year career.

The 39-year-old left-hander began his KBO career in 2004 with the SK Wyverns (currently SSG Landers) and joined the Eagles in free agency in 2016.

Jung had been serving as player-coach in the minors this season and had not pitched at all in the KBO until his one final, mostly ceremonial, appearance at the start of Sunday's game. It was Jung's first career start.

After giving up a leadoff single to Choi Jeong-won, Jung was lifted for Jaime Barria, who would have been the starter for this game.

Jung holds the record for most appearances in KBO history with 1,005. No other pitcher has surpassed the 1,000 mark.