Ryu Hyun-jin (38), Hanwha's "Korean Monster" who pitched on the last day of the three consecutive games during the week against SSG at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 17th and won his second game of the season by allowing two runs in 5.1 innings, is a joke he threw after the game. Why did he say that?메이저놀이터
Hanwha has many fastball pitchers with speeds of over 150 kilometers per hour. Since being promoted to the closing pitcher of this season, he has posted zero ERA, and Kim Seo-hyun, who pitched in the ninth inning to mark his fifth save of this season, threw a 157-kilometer fastball on the day as well. Jung Woo-joo, the No. 2 rookie overall who pitched in the eighth inning before Kim Seo-hyun and garnered his first hold by allowing two strikeouts and no run in one inning, also showed off his potential by throwing a four-seam fastball of 156 kilometers. In addition, foreign starters Cody Ponce and Ryan Weiss also have a four-seam fastball speed of over 150 kilometers on average, while Moon Dong-ju is Korea's best fastball pitcher with his own ball speed of up to 160 kilometers.
In the early days of his KBO league debut and his heyday in the Major League, Ryu was able to throw four-seam fastballs of 150 kilometers or more if he wanted to. However, he is currently facing a difficult situation since he was born in 1987, and there is no such restriction. On the day, his maximum speed of four-seam fastballs was 144 kilometers. Though Ryu's speed has dropped, he can easily overcome batters. He has control and game management capability, which were among the best in the Major League. He started the game on a shaky ground by allowing two runs in the first inning, but did not yield a single run from the second inning to the sixth inning with one out. He allowed six hits and two walks, but his remarkable game management has minimized his number of runs. With the victory, Ryu garnered his 110th win (60 losses) in the KBO league. Including 78 wins (48 losses) in the Major League, he has 188 wins.
Amid Ryu`s good pitching, the Hanwha Eagles beat the SSG 4-2 to clinch its fourth consecutive victory at the same time as sweeping the first three consecutive games of this season. In other words, the team has properly fulfilled its mission of ace pitchers, who can break their losing streak and continue their winning streak.
After the game, Ryu Hyun-jin said, "I had a lot of pitches in the first inning, but I still managed to control the number of pitches well until I went to the fifth inning. I had a lot of mischievous hits because I was able to set a fast count and set a breaking ball." The team continued its winning streak, saying, "I'm glad I won when I threw. Of course, even if I don't become a winning pitcher, I'm satisfied if my team wins. I'm better because I did both."
Regarding the increased number of fastball pitchers on the team, Ryu Hyun-jin joked, "I'm dropping all the average speed." "Even if those players face off with strong balls, I think I should not overdo it and face off with the control I can," he said, adding, "So far, it's going well. I'm maintaining my ERA as I thought."
On this day, Mitch White, who was unable to take the mound due to injury, made his KBO League debut and faced off with Ryu Hyun-jin as a starter. White, who was called a "japchanho" by baseball fans during his Major League career due to his appearance resembling Park Chan-ho, was with Ryu Hyun-jin at the MLB Toronto Blue Jays in 2022 and 2023. Ryu Hyun-jin did not play in the big leagues together because he was away from the Major League mound for a long time due to injury.
"I only greeted him in the outfield before the game because I was about to start," Ryu said. "I think I will throw good pitches if I build up and increase the number of pitches."
On this day, White threw a fastball of up to 155km/h, allowing two hits, eight strikeouts, and two runs in 4.1 innings. He showed off his outstanding strikeout ability by striking out as many as eight out of 13 out counts.
Ryu handed over the mound to Park Sang-won with one out and runners on the first and second bases in the sixth inning. After being hit with a single by Kim Sung-hyun, Park managed to catch pinch hitter Jung Joon-jae with a straight hit to third base with two outs and runners on the first and second bases. If third baseman Noh Si-hwan failed to catch the hit, chances are high that Ryu would have won. "I was surprised at the moment I was hit. I thought it was a foul, but (Roh) caught it," Ryu said. "I should buy him something delicious."