Ryu Hyun-jin, who also pushed Kershaw away...Starting the 3rd starter → The first appearance at the new stadium failed, and romance is good, but it is not the time for Hanwha to do that
Ryu Hyun-jin, who also pushed Kershaw away...Starting the 3rd starter → The first appearance at the new stadium failed, and romance is good, but it is not the time for Hanwha to do that
Blog Article
"Monster pitcher" Ryu Hyun-jin (38) of the Hanwha Eagles gave up the starting pitcher to foreign pitcher Cody Ponce (31). As he started as the third starting pitcher, his first game at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon failed to pass.메이저사이트
Hanwha manager Kim Kyung-moon announced Ponce as the starting pitcher for the opening game against KT in Suwon on the 22nd at the 2025 KBO League Media Day held on the 20th, and said Ryu Hyun-jin will start as the third starter. Ryu Hyun-jin will skip the opening two consecutive games against KT and take his first mound of the season against LG in Jamsil on the 25th.
"Based on his physical conditions, he can be a starter (for the opening game). However, Ryu is quite old. I decided to throw the ball for the third time to save a little bit because I should not throw too many balls," said manager Kim Kyung-moon.
As head coach Kim said, Ryu Hyun-jin has improved his condition smoothly by playing this spring camp as a full-fledged player. In the exhibition game against Lotte in Sajik on the 13th, he blocked four hits (one homer) with one walk, three strikeouts and two runs in four innings, and threw a maximum of 147 kilometers per hour.
Last year as well, Ryu was the ace pitcher of the Hanwha Eagles, and given the symbolism of his name, Ryu is second to none as the starting pitcher. However, the Hanwha coaching staff made a pragmatic decision. Ryu, who has already turned 38 years old, could hardly afford to disregard his age. There is a strong foreign pitcher named Ponce, and he did not have to overdo it.
As a result, Ponce will also take charge of the opening game against KIA at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon's new stadium on the 28th according to the starting rotation. On a symbolic level, it is ideal and romantic for Ryu Hyun-jin to throw the first ball as the starting pitcher for the first game of the new stadium, but that is a luxury that can be enjoyed by a relaxed team.
From 2008 to last year, the Hanwha Eagles played only one fall baseball game for the past 17 years. During the period, the team ranked last eight times, and due to fall baseball fiasco for the last six consecutive years, the dark period is currently ongoing, and the team must produce good results in the first year of its new baseball season.
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Of course, symbolism and romance are good, but Hanwha at the moment should not focus on such trivial matters. They should focus all their attention on winning no matter what. Looking at the entire season, it is expected that it would be a good choice for both teams and individuals to take back their turn as third starters rather than Ryu continuously taking on foreign pitchers.
The U.S. Major League also determines the order of starting pitchers for the opening game or the postseason based on the current form rather than the player's name value. In 2018, the Los Angeles Dodgers chose Ryu instead of ace Clayton Kershaw as the starting pitcher for Game 1 of the Division Series. While Kershaw's condition declined at the end of the season, Ryu showed a steep rise to take the lead in the fall baseball.
It was an unexpected choice, but Ryu Hyun-jin responded to manager Dave Roberts' choice by winning the Atlanta Braves with four hits and eight strikeouts in seven innings. In the second game, the Dodgers, where Kershaw continued his momentum by winning eight innings with two hits, one strikeout and three strikeouts, beat Atlanta with three wins and one loss to reach the Championship Series.
As Ryu was the first starter of the fall baseball league by beating Kershaw, he must have fully understood manager Kim Kyung-moon's decision to start the season opener. Personally, Ryu had little to do with the opening game either. He played a total of six opening games in the KBO league, but showed sluggish performance with one win, four losses and 5.70 earned runs (19 earned in 30 innings). On March 23 last year, when his team returned to the KBO league for the first time in 12 years, the team lost the game as it allowed six hits, three walks and five runs (two earned runs) in three ⅔ innings.
Ryu Hyun-jin, who has the jinx of the opening game, didn't have to feel too much pressure from the start. It would be regrettable to miss the first game at Daejeon's new stadium, but as time goes by, I don't even remember who the winning pitcher was, let alone starting the opening game. KIA Yang Hyeon-jong at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in 2014, Doosan Dustin Nippert at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in 2016, and NC Eddie Butler at Changwon NC Park in 2019 became the winning pitcher at the opening game, but they faded over time.
What is most memorable for a long time is the team's final ranking and the player's overall record of the season. Opening game or first game of a new stadium is meaningful, but there is no better romance than throwing a congratulatory shot for fall baseball at a new stadium. Choosing Ponce for the opening game is the best choice for the team and Ryu himself.