Ryu Hyun-jin’s brilliant return, “There were too many arrests “We will increase the number of pitches in time for the opening game.”

Hanwha starting pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin is fighting during an exhibition game between Kia Tigers and Hanwha Eagles in the professional baseball '2024 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League' held at Hanwha Life Insurance Eagles Park in Jung-gu, Daejeon on the afternoon of the 12th.

'Monster' Ryu Hyun-jin (37, Hanwha Eagles), who pitched in a Korean professional baseball exhibition game for the first time in 12 years, expressed satisfaction with his pitching in his return game to the point of joking after the game. Even in the chilly weather, the conditions were so good that the highest fastball speed was 148 km/h.

Ryu Hyun-jin started the 2024 KBO League exhibition game against the KIA Tigers held at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon on the 12th and recorded 3 hits and 1 run in 4 innings.

Hanwha, which emerged as a dark horse ahead of this season, raised expectations by winning a cold game 9-1 over KIA, led by Ryu Hyun-jin's performance.

On this day, Ryu Hyun-jin made his first domestic start in 4,177 days since the final game against Nexen Heroes (now Kiwoom) on October 4, 2012. Considering only the exhibition game, it was against the KIA Tigers on March 31, 2012, and it has been about 12 years and 4364 days since the team pitched on this day.

He had 62 pitches and threw a variety of pitches, including fastballs (29), cutters (1, changeups (12), and curves (11). The highest speed of his fastball was measured at 148 km, and the average speed was measured at 144 km.

Ryu Hyun-jin, who started the game by giving up a score in the first inning due to the cold weather, returned to 'monster' mode in the second inning and neutralized the KIA batting line with his unique blade control. After the game, Ryu Hyun-jin said, “I felt good because the fans’ cheers were loud even though it was an exhibition game,” and “I am satisfied that I met the number of pitches and innings I originally planned to throw.” Although it was an exhibition game, about 3,500 spectators gathered at Daejeon Stadium on this day to cheer for Ryu Hyun-jin's return. Regarding the overall pitch content, Ryu Hyun-jin said, “I am positive that the speed of the fastball came out better than I expected,” and added, “It was good overall, except for the poor control of the changeup.” In particular, Ryu Hyun-jin highly evaluated the abilities of Hanwha's infield defense. Hanwha's infield handled Ryu Hyun-jin's ground ball without making a mistake on this day. Ryu Hyun-jin said, “The infield defense was stable,” and “I am grateful to all the players for working hard, and I will continue to throw the ball with confidence in the defense.”

Ryu Hyun-jin successfully completed his starting pitch on this day, further increasing his chances of pitching in the opening game. In response to this, Ryu Hyun-jin expressed his determination, saying, “I think we will have to increase the number of pitches for the remaining period and make up for the changeup control that was lacking today.”

Manager Choi Won-ho, who watched the pitching that day, also gave a satisfactory evaluation, saying, “Ryu Hyun-jin showed stability in both pitch and control over 4 innings as per his goal.”

Meanwhile, Yang Hyun-jong was scheduled to be the KIA starter on this day, but Jang Min-ki took the mound instead due to poor physical condition due to an upset stomach. However, Jang Min-ki collapsed after giving up 7 runs in ⅔ innings without completing 1 inning.

토토; https://www.sportstotomen.com