Korean Monster, which has returned to the Hanwha Eagles, has also been warmly welcomed by his juniors. Leading hitter Noh Si-hwan disclosed an invitation to Ryu Hyun-jin in a group chat room on his smartphone through SNS, and expressed his enthusiastic response within his team.유흥알바
On the 22nd, Noh Si-hwan disclosed on his official Instagram account story that he invited Ryu to a group chat room on Hanwha Eagles’ smartphone. He also added, “King is Back.”
It was Lee Tae-yang, one of his closest juniors, who invited him to the group chat room. Ryu announced his return by saying “Nice to meet you” and “Let’s do our best.”
Hanwha officially announced earlier in the day that it has signed an eight-year contract with Ryu, totaling 17 billion won. With this contract, Ryu broke the KBO league’s record of 4+2 years, up to 15.2 billion won, that Yang Eui-ji signed with the Doosan Bears ahead of the 2023 season.
“As you trusted me and treated me well, I will do my best to play as a member of the Hanwha Eagles again and make a new record and history,” Ryu Hyun-jin said through the Hanwha team. “I will do my best to have a good influence on the team, especially with the heart of repaying the fans who always cheered and expected me.”
Ryu Hyun-ji also said, “I sincerely thank the owner, Hanwha Group employees, Hanwha Eagles CEO Park Chan-hyuk and other team executives who trusted and recognized me,” adding, “Due to various circumstances, the FA contract market in the U.S. has been postponed overall, I have reported the news of my return to the league a little late. Regarding the timing of my return to Hanwha, I came to the conclusion that it is right to join as soon as possible when I finally judged that I was good enough. I am truly happy and excited to be back now.”
Ryu graduated from Dongsan High School in Incheon in 2006 and was selected by the Hanwha Eagles in the rookie draft. He entered the KBO League with the second overall pick in the second round.
Ryu has had “monster syndrome” since his debut season in 2006. He recorded 18 wins, 6 losses and an earned run average of 2.231 saves in 30 games, and achieved the Triple Crown, including the most wins, ERA, and strikeout king. He made history in Korean baseball by winning both Rookie of the Year and MVP at the same time.
Until 2012, Ryu had 98 wins and 52 losses and one save with a 2.80 ERA in 190 games in the KBO League. After the 2012 season, he transferred from the Hanwha Eagles to the Los Angeles Dodgers through a posting system, achieving his dream of joining the big league. He became the first person to directly move to a big league without going through a minor league in the KBO League.
Ryu continued to succeed in the Major League as well. In 2013, when he made his debut season in the Major League, he became the core of Dodgers’ starting pitcher rotation with 14 wins and eight losses and an earned run average of 3.00. In the 2014 season, he also became one of the top starting pitchers in the Major League with 14 wins and seven losses and an earned run average of 3.38, in 26 games.
Ryu had the misfortune to be placed on an operating table due to his shoulder injury ahead of the 2015 season. Some were skeptical about his potential to make a comeback, but he silently rehabilitated and recovered his skills during the 2017 season. He successfully displayed his wings of revival with five wins, nine losses, one save and an earned run average of 3.77, in 25 games.
Ryu went on to perform in 15 games of the 2018 season with seven wins and three losses with an ERA of 1.97. He failed to meet the required innings, but displayed one of the best performances in the Dodgers.
Ryu has stood out as the starting pitcher among the best in the Major League in the 2019 season. He ranked first in overall ERA in the Major League with 14 wins and five losses with an ERA of 2.32 in 29 games, and was selected as an All-Star in the National League.
Ryu exercised his first career FA right after the end of the 2019 season. The Toronto Blue Jays, who desperately needed a starting pitcher, sent a love call. He acquired a four-year jackpot contract worth 80 million U.S. dollars and moved his nest.
Even after joining the Toronto Blue Jays, Ryu did his part. He performed as good as the ace in the 2020 season with five wins and two losses and a 2.69 ERA in 12 games. If the regular league had not been held as a shortened season of only 60 games amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he could have achieved better performance.
Ryu had 14 wins and 10 losses with an ERA of 4.37 in 31 games amid slump in the second half of the 2021 season. In the 2022 season, Ryu faced another crisis as he was put on the operating table again due to an elbow injury.
The Hanwha Eagles announced on Feb. 22 an eight-year, total contract worth 17 billion won with Ryu Hyun-jin. Ryu will return to the KBO League after 12 years. Photo by Expo News DB
However, Ryu did not collapse. After overcoming hardships, he returned to the mound of the Major League Baseball. He displayed stellar performance in 11 games for the 2023 season with three wins, three losses and an earned run average of 3.46.
Naturally, it seemed that Ryu will stay in the Major League in the 2024 season as well. Although Ryu’s disadvantages were his age and injury history, which he was born in 1987 and turned 37 this year, he was a proven veteran resource for Major League teams that wanted to strengthen their starting pitchers.
MLB.COM, the official website of the U.S. Major League Baseball, also praised Ryu Hyun-jin, saying, “Considering that he doesn’t have to rely on a strong ball (with a pitching style), there is a possibility that he will successfully spend the 2024 season when he turns 37 years old.”
Ryu had difficulty finding a new team for the 2024 season. He continued his personal training even after February when spring training for 30 Major League teams began.