Hanwha's Ryu Hyun-jin reacts after his team's defense made a series of errors in the bottom of the fourth inning against Suwon KT on Thursday. Suwon | Yonhap News Agency

The Korean professional baseball team Hanwha Eagles went through wrap up training in Miyazaki, Japan, after the 2023 season ended. Head coach Choi Won-ho suggested "improving defense" as a key task. It was to strengthen the team’s defense which was so poor that it earned the ironic nickname of " Happiness Defense." “You shouldn't throw it with trust in the defense, you should catch it,” Ryu Hyun-jin told an elementary school student before heading to the U.S. Major League, creating an online meme that shows the sad reality of ace pitcher Ryu.

The baseball team tried to strengthen its defense in spring camps in Melbourne, Australia and Okinawa, Japan, but it has not been able to escape from its "Happiness Defense" again this year.

Ryu started against the KT Wiz in Suwon on April 24 but left the mound after allowing seven hits, two outs, four strikeouts, and seven runs (five earned) in five innings. His 100th career victory in the KBO was delayed once again.

The pitcher sent the runner to third base with Hwang Jae-gyun's sacrifice bunt after being doubled by leadoff hitter Jang Sung-woo in the bottom of the fourth inning when his team was trailing 1-3. With one out, Cho Yong-ho's ball rolled slowly between the pitcher and the first baseman, but it became a hit as first baseman Chae Eun-sung and second baseman Kim Tae-yeon rushed to the ball at the same time and failed to catch it.

With one out and runners on first and third base, Ryu drew a grounder to shortstop to follow-up batter Ahn Chi-young. However, Kim missed the throw from shortstop Hwang Young-mook, allowing Jang Sung-woo to come home in the meantime.

The inning that should have been over continued. Ryu gave up a timely two-run double to Kim Sang-soo with one out and runners on first and second bases, and seemed to take a breather by handling Chun Sung-ho with a grounder to shortstop with one out and a runner on second base, but this time, Hwang's throw to shortstop went wide and the pitcher allowed an additional run.

The Hanwha Eagles’ "Happiness Defense" that even Ryu cannot endure has been repeated. In the game against the KT Wiz on the 23rd, Moon Dong-joo induced Cho Yong-ho to hit an ordinary ground ball in the bottom of the fourth inning, which was tied 3-3, but third baseman Roh Si-hwan failed to catch the ball, allowing Cho to get on base. The error allowed Cho to come home and turn the game around.

In fact, the Hanwha Eagles has a tendency to form its lineup while taking some risks from defense instability, such as utilizing "multi-position."

Head coach Choi said, “We have to take each risk depending on whether to prioritize defense or hitting." However, the team has also been weak in hitting.

The Hanwha Eagles’ batting average in April is standing at 0.234, the last in the league. The team, which had been on a roll with eight wins and two losses in their first 10 games, has slipped to eighth place in the league with 11 wins and 15 losses. The Eagles, who failed to show good performance both in defense and hitting, are now in a double bind.