Ryu Hyun-jin (Hanwha Eagles) returned to the KBO League for the first time in 12 years. Having played in 143 ⅓ innings in 25 games through Saturday, Ryu has eight wins and eight losses with an ERA of 3.89. He pitched 14 quality starts (more than six innings as a starter, less than three earned runs), but remained in the single-digit number of wins, and his batting average (28.4 percent) or the number of homers (11) is not low. As he played in the rotation of starting pitchers in the big league until last year, his footsteps in the Hanwha Eagles this season seem heavy.스포츠토토
Ryu, who had five wins and five losses and an earned run average of 3.62 in 16 games in the first half, has three wins and three losses and an earned run average of 4.38 in nine games in the second half. It is regrettable that both the hit rate and the number of homers in the second half are increasing compared to the first half. The fact that batters’ concentration and cohesion have reached their peak in the all-time rankings seems to be making Ryu’s step heavier.
How does manager Kim Kyung-moon, a master who has gone through all sorts of hardships, view Ryu Hyun-jin’s move.
“I always feel pressure to throw well,” manager Kim said of Ryu Hyun-jin’s pitching. “The base is how much Ryu Hyun-jin has to throw. I also think we have to win the day when Ryu Hyun-jin comes out,” he said. “There were days when the pitching content was bad, but there were days when there was no scoring or defense support.”
As he said, the name “Ryu Hyun-jin” still holds great significance. Not only his personal performance but also his intangible value to his team cannot be ignored. “Ryu Hyun-jin tries to communicate with his players a lot. Communicating with his seniors is very helpful to players and teams rather than coaches telling them,” Kim said. “It is worth giving confidence to the batters to say a word whenever they get a good hit.”
Hanwha is rejuvenating its hopes of reaching the top five and is dreaming of making a comeback in the fall baseball league. It is considered a team that still needs to grow. Its ultimate goal is to grow into a “strong and sustainable team” through synergy between players and veterans that it has discovered through the process of rebuilding. It is this expression of commitment that he brought in Ryu as the best condition in the history of the KBO league, and switched to manager Kim in the middle of this season. Although Ryu is stepping forward in the upcoming return season, he is highly hopeful that he will show better performance next year. Manager Kim, who helped the Hanwha Eagles who were on the verge of collapse, is also expected to show a new side by melting down the baseball games he pursues. “No pitcher can match the ability to catch a batter. He is doing well now, but I think he will get better,” manager Kim said of Ryu.
Harmony between the returning ace and the master. Maybe this is the time to lay the foundation.