Eliaser Hernandez (LG Twins) couldn't laugh.

Hernandez took the mound as LG's starting pitcher in an away game against KT Wiz in the 2025 professional baseball KBO League at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on the 2nd.메이저놀이터

Starting from the top of the first inning, LG's batters gave Hernandez a run. With no outs and no outs, which led to Hong Chang-ki's walk, Song Chan-ui's hit to the center field, and Austin Dean's walk, Moon Bo-kyung fired a sacrifice fly to the left field.

However, Hernandez was shaky from the bottom of the first inning. After committing a walk to Mel Rojas Jr., he was hit by Kang Baek-ho with an RBI double that cut through the left-center field. Heo then allowed a strikeout, but Kim Min-hyuk's walk resulted in the first and second bases with one out. Here, he dedicated a two-run double to Jang, who was dropped to the left side of the left field, and recorded his third run on his report card.

It wasn't the end. Kim Sang-soo's walk and Oh Yoon-seok's hit to the right field led to the bases loaded with one out, and Bae Jeong-dae and Kwon Dong-jin, respectively, allowed a sacrifice fly to left field and a two-run double to the right field. Then, he was hit with a two-run shot, which was 130 meters away, and Hernandez bowed his head. Immediately afterwards, LG replaced the pitcher with right-hander Lee Ji-gang.

His final score was five hits, one homer, three four outs, one strikeout and eight runs in 0.2 innings. The total number of pitches he pitched was 53, and the maximum speed of fastballs was measured up to 149 kilometers.

Hernandez, who was called by the Houston Astros through an international amateur free contract in 2011, is a right-handed pitcher who has played for the Miami Marlins, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Milwaukee Brewers since then. He posted 10 wins, 22 losses and two holds with an ERA of 5.10 in 99 games (303.1 innings) in the U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB).

In the middle of last year, Hernandez joined hands with LG, which was looking for a substitute for Casey Kelly, and posted three wins, two losses and one save with an ERA of 4.02 in 11 games (47 innings) in the regular season. Notably, his stellar performance in fall baseball was stellar. He took the mound in all five semi-playoff games against KT Wiz as a bullpen and recorded an ERA of 0.00 (7.1 innings without allowing a run) with two saves and one hold, driving LG to advance to the playoffs.

Hernandez also showed off his presence in the playoffs, which involved a showdown with the Samsung Lions. He pitched in the third game and pitched 3.2 innings of two hits, one strikeout and five strikeouts, leading LG to a 1-0 victory. Unfortunately, LG did not make it to the Korean Series, but fans cheered and gave him the nickname "El Dong-won (LG Choi Dong-won)."

Since then, Hernandez has been sweating profusely for his performance this season. On March 25, his first regular season game against the Hanwha Eagles in Jamsil, he pitched seven innings of good pitching, one hit and one strikeout, and eight strikeouts, securing his victory, but lost face as he was scolded by KT's batters.

It was a painful news for LG as well. Before the latest KT match, LG had won the opening seven consecutive games, breaking the record of six consecutive wins that it had achieved in 2017. However, as Hernandez was caught up in the slump, the team lost 5-9, dampening its upward momentum. Hernandez will also face his first loss of the season (one win).