Участник:Ryu Joong-il and 37-year-old Ryu Hyun-jin, who made 'history' with 20-year-old Moon Dong-ju
After winning 78 games in the Major League, he returned to Hanwha, his original team. Can Hanwha win the Korean Series and become the national flag.
Ryu Hyun-jin joined Hanwha's second spring camp in Okinawa, Japan, and after checking his condition, he was confident that he would play in the opening game.
In an interview at Incheon International Airport before joining the team, Ryu said, "I threw up to 65 pitches indoors. I will start training as soon as I get there," adding, "It's been a while since I played an outdoor catch, but I will pitch the bullpen right away if I feel good about it."
As he boasted, Ryu Hyun-jin, who took his first training session at Gochinda Stadium in Okinawa, began training wearing Hanwha uniforms for the first time in 12 years since 2012.
Ryu threw a total of 45 fastballs, curves, and changeups in the presence of Hanwha General Manager Sohn Hyuk, manager Choi Won-ho and pitching coach Park Seung-min, who also came to Japan together. He displayed his know-how during the 11th season of the Major League Baseball, which gave him ample leeway. After the pitching, he took a light jog and warmed up.
The opening game of the professional baseball league will be on March 23. In a month, there is no problem in building up the body to start the game.
Ryu returned to the KBO League after signing an eight-year, 17 billion-dollar contract with the Hanwha Eagles. His immediate goal for this season is to advance to the fall baseball league for the first time since 2018, and to win the Korean Series in the long run. Some Major League teams offered multi-year contracts, but he insisted on one-year contracts to return to the Hanwha Eagles before turning 40, and as a result, he returned to Korea sooner than scheduled, he said.
He also has another wish. He aspires to become a "Taegeuk mark," which has not been easy to dream about while playing in the Major League. "It is obvious as a player. I am not sure if Ryu Joong-il will choose me, but I would like to play for the national team one more time if possible," Ryu said in a confidential statement.
On the same day, Ryu Joong-il was reappointed as head coach of the Korean national team. The KBO officially announced that it has appointed Ryu Joong-il as the head coach to lead the Premier 12, which will take place after the end of this year's regular season.
He led the Korean baseball team to its fourth consecutive championship at the Hangzhou Asian Games, and also took the baton at the APBC Asian Baseball Championship to win the runner-up prize. In particular, he was highly praised for leading the national team led by promising players in the two competitions and achieving generational change. Among them, Moon Dong-ju and Noh Si-hwan of the Hanwha Eagles played an active role as key pitchers in pitching and hitting.
After all, young players should be the main players of the Korean national team. The appointment of Ryu Joong-il as the main player who changed the trend of Korean baseball, which was rumored to be in crisis, and the appointment of Ryu Joong-il was natural in terms of bond with key players, continuity and systematic fate of the national team.
Coach Choi Il-eon and coach Ryu Ji-hyun, along with coach Ryu Joong-il, were appointed as coaches in the national team's pitching and hitting division, adding to their strength.
Manager Ryu Joong-il will begin his schedule as a national team manager under the command of Team Korea, which will play in friendly games against the San Diego Padres and LA Dodgers in the Major League's Seoul Series on March 17-18.
Although head coach Ryu Joong-il led the "generation change," he is also a leader who has emphasized the importance of veterans and mentors who will always be the center of the national team. In the last Asian Games, team chemistry, which was united around the oldest player Park Se-woong, produced a valuable harvest of gold medals.
Then how about Ryu Hyun-jin? He is the best player who will serve as a model for other players in every aspect including physical care, daily life and performance. If he joins a legendary Korean pro baseball player who has illustrated Korean baseball in the Major League, it will certainly motivate other players in other teams as well.
Ryu Hyun-jin recorded 98 wins and 52 losses with a 2.80 ERA in seven KBO league seasons and 78 wins and 48 losses with a 3.27 ERA in 11 major league seasons.
He joined the Doha Asian Games in his debut season in 2006, but was embroiled in a "Doha disaster." He became the gold medalist of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, winning two games and 17 ⅓ innings. He was also an ace player of the Korean national team in the 2009 WBC and 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games.
This is the national flag that has not been displayed for a long time since moving to the Major League. The 2026 WBC is too far-fetched a goal for Ryu, who has become a veteran player. The upcoming Premier 12 this season could be a good opportunity for him to display his robustness.