▲ Ryu Hyun-jin. ⓒPhoto by Kwak Hye-mi
[SPOTV NEWS] “I hope he does it again in my next start.”
Hanwha Eagles ace Ryu Hyun-jin took the mound as the starter in the team’s third regular-season away game against the Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 13th. Over five innings, he threw 89 pitches, allowing five hits, two walks, and three earned runs while striking out nine, securing his fifth win of the season.
Ryu started the game dominantly. From the first inning, he retired leadoff hitter Seo Geon-chang on a grounder to the pitcher, then struck out Lim Byeong-wook to quickly build outs. After giving up a single to Ahn Chi-hong, he remained unshaken and struck out Choi Joo-hwan to begin the game scoreless.
Carrying that momentum, Ryu recorded two strikeouts in the second inning against the heart of Kiwoom’s lineup—Trenton Brooks, Park Joo-hong, and Yang Hyun-jong—for a perfect inning. He shut down the Heroes again in the third. However, in the fourth inning, after retiring the first batter, Lim Byeong-wook, he suddenly ran into trouble and allowed runs.
With one out and nobody on in the fourth, Ryu gave up back-to-back singles to Ahn Chi-hong and Choi Joo-hwan, putting runners on second and third. Brooks then hit a sacrifice fly to bring in the first run. Ryu managed to escape without further damage, but in the fifth, with two outs, he allowed a single to Seo Geon-chang and a walk to Lim Byeong-wook, putting himself in another jam. Ahn Chi-hong then delivered a two-run single, bringing Ryu’s earned runs to three.
Despite collecting many strikeouts, Ryu’s pitch count climbed sharply in the fourth and fifth innings, forcing him to exit after five frames. He was also preparing for his second start of the week. Nevertheless, thanks to strong run support from his lineup, Ryu earned his first career win at Gocheok, marking his 199th victory across the Korean and American professional leagues.
▲ Ryu Hyun-jin. ⓒPhoto by Kwak Hye-mi
▲ Ryu Hyun-jin. ⓒPhoto by Kwak Hye-mi
However, Ryu did not place much significance on the milestone. After the game, he smiled and said, “The 199th win between Korea and the U.S. and the first win at Gocheok don’t mean much.” Instead, he expressed gratitude toward his teammates.
“I was able to pitch comfortably because we scored early. I didn’t win because I pitched well; I won because the hitters scored plenty of runs,” Ryu said, deflecting credit to the batters. He specifically singled out one player: Noh Si-hwan.
Noh had a huge game, hitting his third career grand slam in the first inning and finishing with three hits (one home run), five RBIs, and one run scored. Ryu said, “Si-hwan hit a grand slam today. I hope he hits another home run in my next start.”
When reporters told Noh that Ryu’s next start would be a bid for his 200th win, Noh replied, “Oh, really?” and then declared, “Then we have to win that day no matter what. I’ll try to hit another one.”
Though Ryu downplayed the achievement, his 199th win sets up a chance to go for number 200 on the 17th against the KT Wiz in Suwon. All eyes will be on whether he reaches that historic milestone.
▲ Noh Si-hwan. ⓒPhoto by Kwak Hye-mi
▲ Ryu Hyun-jin and manager Kim Kyung-moon. ⓒPhoto by Kwak Hye-mi