The slump is getting longer. The ERA soared to 14.06, and his predecessor slowly comes to mind. This is the story of Bruce Zimmerman (Hanwha Eagles).
Hanwha, led by head coach Kim Kyung-moon, suffered a 6-13 defeat by manager Lee Sung-yong’s SSG Landers in an away game of the 2026 professional baseball KBO League regular season at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 27th. As a result, Hanwha, which has lost four consecutive games, fell to eighth place with its 60th loss (three draws and 49 wins).
The disturbance of starter Zimmerman was disappointing. The batters supported a lot of points from the beginning, but they lost a lot of points once again, providing the starting point for defeat.
사진 확대 Zimmerman, who has been struggling lately. Photo = Courtesy of Hanwha 
사진 확대 Zimmerman is spraying the ball against SSG on the 27th. Photo = Courtesy of Hanwha
Hanwha was better at the bottom of the first inning when it was leading 4-0. He defeated Jung Joon-jae with a ground ball to second base. Park Sung-han had a hit to the right, but struck out Guillermo Herredia. Kim Jae-hwan’s left-center hit drove him to first and second bases with two outs, but he caught Jeon Eui-san with a fly to center field.
However, he failed to avoid a run from the bottom of the second inning. Cho Hyung-woo was induced to fly to right field, but he gave up a left-handed double to Jihoon Choi. The follow-up hitter Lim Geun-woo put to rest with a ground ball to shortstop, but allowed Ahn Sang-hyun to hit a two-run shot to the left with a distance of 120m (season No. 3). Jung Joon-jae was grounded out to the first base, preventing additional runs.
The ordeal continued in the bottom of the third inning. Park Sung-han’s left-handed hit, Eredia’s right-field fly, and Kim Jae-hwan’s right-handed hit led to Jeon Ui-san’s three-run home run (7th of the season) with a distance of 125m.
I couldn’t find stability until the end. Cho Hyung-woo hit an infield single to second base. Jihoon Choi struck out, but gave up a hit to Lim Geun-woo.
In the end, the Hanwha bench’s patience was over. Lee Hyung-beom replaced the pitcher. Lee Hyung-beom did not allow a home run to the successor, and the earned run did not increase.
사진 확대 Zimmerman, who was scolded in the match against SSG on the 27th. Photo = Courtesy of Hanwha
The final result was nine hits, two homers, two strikeouts and five runs in 2.2 innings. A total of 63 balls were thrown, but they failed to block the SSG lineup completely.
Zimmerman, who was drafted by the Atlanta Braves as the 140th overall pick in the fifth round in the 2017 draft, is a left-hander whose corner work and various pitches are considered strengths. He has played for the Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers, and St. Louis Cardinals, and posted an 8-11 record and 5.63 ERA in 40 MLB games (28 starts, 169.1 innings). In Triple-A, he played 112 games (95 starts, 523 innings) and recorded 30 wins, 26 losses, and 500 strikeouts.
Hanwha selected Zimmerman as a substitute when Wilkel Hernandez, a former foreign pitcher, was sluggish with 3-6 losses and a 4.92 ERA.
However, Zimmerman failed to meet Hanwha’s expectations. He pitched well against the LG Twins in Daejeon on July 26, when he made his KBO League debut, with three hits and two strikeouts in four innings, but he was sluggish in the match against Suwon KT Wiz (eight hits and two outs in four innings, three strikeouts and seven runs/loss), the match against the Samsung Lions in Daegu on the 14th (five innings of 10 hits, three homers and one homer, five strikeouts and six runs/loss), and the match against LG in Daejeon on the 21st (six hits and two strikeouts and seven runs in 0.1 innings).
Since then, Zimmerman, who was desperate, started the day, but was scolded by the SSG lineup and had to lower his head again. The ERA soared to 14.06. After being replaced, it was a comfort that Hanwha’s batters tied the game and narrowly avoided defeat. Hanwha’s concerns have grown in many ways.
사진 확대 When will Zimmerman be able to bounce back. Photo = Courtesy of Hanwha
[Lee Hanjoo, MK Sports Reporter]