Ryu Hyun-jin’s record of ’99 wins in the 4th round of 3 games’, Hanwha’s consecutive losses, which stood out, ‘decision to make a decision’

The moment he really needed it, he didn’t let up on his expectations. Ryu Hyun-jin (37), a monster of the Hanwha Eagles in the professional baseball league, succeeded in the “fourth of three games” by throwing a colorful pitch. He reported his first win in the KBO League in 12 years, breaking the losing streak and laying the groundwork for a new leap forward.

Hanwha starter Ryu Hyun-jin led the team to a 3-0 victory by pitching six innings of one hit, two walks and eight strikeouts in an away game against Doosan at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 11th. Ryu Hyun-jin, who returned to the Hanwha Eagles for the first time in 12 years ahead of this season, reported his long-awaited first win of the “fourth of three games” in his fourth appearance of the season.

Ryu garnered another victory in 4216 days after his victory over the Doosan Bears on Sept. 25, 2012, and recorded 99 wins in the KBO, the same number as his back number. Ryu had one win and two losses in four games this season, lowering his earned run average to 5.85. Ryu’s victory on the day is expected to revitalize the Hanwha mound in that he broke the chain of five consecutive losses that began with his loss and pulled out a re-emerging victory himself.

After the game, coach Choi Won-ho lavished praise on Ryu for his good pitching in return for his faith. “Ryu Hyun-jin blocked the opponent team’s batters with perfect pitching, severing his first win and losing streak. It was truly seasoned pitching. Even in the bullpen, Jang Si-hwan, Han Seung-hyuk, and Joo Hyun-sang protected the victory with good pitching,” Choi said, adding that he created a good atmosphere ahead of the three consecutive home games against KIA over the weekend. 스포츠토토

Coach Choi Won-ho started the bullpen in the seventh inning following starter Ryu Hyun-jin, drawing a complete 3-0 victory. Jang Si-hwan, Han Seung-hyuk and Joo Hyun-sang took charge of one inning each, silencing Doosan’s batters with effective consecutive throws.

In an interview after the game, Ryu said, “I was very late in my first win. Until now, I have had difficulties as I have been losing points intensively in one inning. Fortunately, I passed the game today (on the 11th). The losing streak started because of me. Before the game, I met (Jeong Kyung-bae), the senior coach, at the hotel sauna, and told him, “I will make sure that I stop what started wrong. I was able to keep my promise.”

In fact, the Hanwha Eagles suffered a five-game losing streak as Ryu gave up 10 runs (nine earned) in five innings in a game against the Kiwoom Heroes on the 5th. After losing all three consecutive away games against Kiwoom, he gave up even the first and second games in an away game against Doosan in Jamsil, and failed to escape from the mire of consecutive losses. As such, Ryu’s loss shocked the entire Hanwha mound and the entire team.

However, Ryu took the mound again in six days, displaying what fans had anticipated. With sharp fastballs, Ryu threw all his pitches, including cutters, changeups, and curves, perfectly blocking Doosan’s batters. He pitched 94 pitches (67 strikes), and his maximum speed was 148 kilometers. He lowered his earned run average (ERA), which had soared to 8.36 to 5.85.

Since his debut with the Hanwha Eagles in 2006, he has headed to the U.S. Major League after the 2012 season. After making his name as a “Korean Monster,” he returned to the Hanwha Eagles this year. He signed an eight-year contract worth 17 billion won (including opt-out and closed to the public under the agreement of both parties).

Ryu started the game against the LG Twins on April 23, the opening game of this season, and gave up six hits, three walks, and five runs (two earned runs) in three ⅔. He became a losing pitcher. In the game against the KT Wiz on April 29, he allowed eight hits, nine strikeouts and two runs in six innings to achieve a quality start (more than six innings and three earned runs or less), but ended his disappointment by no decision. In the game against the Kiwoom Heroes on April 5, he recorded a shocking defeat by allowing nine hits, two walks, and nine strikeouts in four ⅓. He failed to secure victory in all three of his appearances.

To make matters worse, the Hanwha Eagles lost five consecutive games against Kiwoom on Thursday last week, but manager Choi Won-ho’s confidence in Ryu remained unchanged. “I heard he’s in good condition. I have to trust him. As long as he doesn’t have physical problems, he is okay. He must have been stressed. That’s why I didn’t talk to him separately,” Choi said in expressing trust. Ryu then showed his determination to reinvigorate the Hanwha mound again by showing his determination to do so according to Choi’s belief.