Troika, the left-handed ace who led the KBO League and international competitions, will gather in Korea again. As Ryu Hyun-jin, who played in the Major League for 11 years, has decided to make a comeback with the Hanwha Eagles, his showdown with SSG Landers Kim Kwang-hyun and KIA Tigers Yang Hyun-jong is drawing keen attention.꽁머니
After graduating from Dongsan High School, Ryu was drafted by the Hanwha Eagles as the second runner-up in the first round of the second round in 2006. He became a sensation in his first year. He pitched 201 ⅓ innings in 30 games, achieving a triple crown of 18 wins, six losses, one save, an earned run average of 2.23, and 204 strikeouts. He was the only player in KBO league history to win both Rookie and Regular League MVP at the same time. The nickname “monster” suited him perfectly.
Ryu Hyun-jin, who has been an ace player of the Hanwha Eagles every year, played until 2012 and advanced to the Major League through posting. Ryu, who recorded 98 wins, 52 losses and an ERA of 2.80 in 190 games, offered 25.73 million dollars as transfer fee that the Los Angeles Dodgers will give to the Hanwha Eagles, and later signed a total of 36 million dollars for six years in exclusive negotiations, shocking Korean baseball fans.
Ryu Hyun-jin played left-handed one-two punch with Clayton Kershaw in the Dodgers, and after the 2019 season, he signed a four-year deal worth $80 million with the Toronto Blue Jays as an FA. He played in 186 games and 1,055 ⅓ innings in the Major League Baseball for 11 years until last year, recording 78 wins, 48 losses with one save and an ERA of 3.27.
Kim Kwang-hyun and Yang Hyun-jong, who are one year younger than Ryu Hyun-jin, came to the professional league in 2007, a year later.
Kim Kwang-hyun graduated from Ansan Technical High School and joined the SK Wyverns as the first nomination, while Yang Hyun-jong graduated from Gwangju Dongseong High School and wore the KIA uniform as the first place in the second round.
Kim had only three wins and seven losses in his first year, but he made a surprise debut in the Korean Series, signaling that he will succeed. Kim, who was the starting pitcher at Game 4 when his team was trailing by one win and two losses, had a showdown with Daniel Rios, who was named MVP of the regular season league at the time, and pitched seven ⅓ innings with one hit, nine strikeouts and no runs to save his team from the cliff. SK won the title by garnering two more wins.
In his second year in 2008, Kim Kwang-hyun won 16-4 with a 2.39 ERA and 150 strikeouts, winning multiple wins and two strikeouts, and becoming the MVP of the regular season. Since then, he has consistently been an ace, advanced to the Major League from 2020 to 2021, played for the St. Louis Cardinals, and returned to SSG Landers in 2022 with a four-year contract totaling 15.1 billion won to lead his first wire-to-wire victory. He has a total of 158 wins and 88 losses with a 3.20 ERA.
The professional baseball game between Samsung and Hanwha took place at Pohang Baseball Stadium on the 19th. Ryu Hyun-jin is starting and throwing the ball vigorously.
Yang did not see the glimmer of success from the beginning, but he has steadily improved his career. Having initially moved between the starting pitcher and the bullpen, Yang began to explode his potential by posting 12 wins and 5 losses and an earned run average of 3.15 in 2009. He showed lackluster performance for three years after recording 16 wins in 2010, but he has maintained his position as Kia’s ace since 2014. In 2017, he was the only one among the three to win 20 games with 20-6 losses and an earned run average of 3.44, and led his team to the championship of the Korean Series in the same year, lifting it to the MVP of the Korean Series. He was the only one among the three to win the Korean Series. Yang, who challenged the Major League by signing a contract with the Texas Rangers in 2021, returned to the Kia Tigers in 2022. He played in 484 games until last year, recording 168 wins, 113 losses and nine holds of 3.81 ERA.
Still, since Ryu Hyun-jin was with Kim Kwang-hyun Yang Hyun-jong in the KBO League for six years from 2007 to 2012, I wonder if he would have had several starting confrontations, but shockingly, he could not see them.
There has never been a showdown between Ryu and Kim. During the six years, Ryu played in 24 games (21 starts) against SK, and Kim started a total of 11 games, but they never started on the same day.
Ryu and Yang had a showdown as starters only once. When Yang was a rookie, Yang and Ryu met as starters at Mudeung Stadium in Gwangju on April 29, 2007.
At the time, Yang had only one loss in three starts. Then, he met Han-ho and had a showdown with Ryu, which was truly the worst pitching ever. He garnered only one out count, and allowed two hits (one homer), two walks, one strikeout and three runs. He faced a crisis of one out and two bases loaded with a hit and a walk, and was hit by a three-run homer by Kim Tae-kyun, the fourth batter of the Hanwha Eagles, and allowed a walk to Lee Bum-ho, who is now the manager of Kia Tigers, and was replaced by Son Young-min. On the other hand, Ryu had six hits (one homer) and five strikeouts and two runs during eight innings, and the Hanwha Eagles won the game 7-2, securing his third win of this season.
Will Ryu Hyun-jin and Kim Kwang-hyun have their first showdown this year, or will Ryu Hyun-jin and Yang Hyun-jong have their second showdown this year? Previously, Korean aces did not meet each other as much as possible. It was a time when players thought about their pride as well, and there was a strong perception that players do not have to attach winning cards to opponent teams’ strong cards. Now, there is no coach like that. The “confrontation of the century” may unfold depending on the decision made by Hanwha manager Choi Won-ho, SSG manager Lee Sung-yong, and KIA manager Lee Bum-ho.