2024-04-01 22:49:17
Ryu Hyun-jin (37), who returned to the Hanwha Eagles for the first time in 12 years under the condition of a total of 17 billion won over 8 years, expressed his ambition to advance to the postseason this season and win the championship within 8 years.
Ryu Hyun-jin participated in team training held at Gochinda Baseball Stadium in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, where spring camp is held on the 27th.
Ryu Hyun-jin, who pitched in the bullpen for the second time after joining camp on the 26th, only did light training such as running and catching.
Ryu Hyun-jin, who met with reporters after completing training, was satisfied with his bullpen pitching the previous day, saying, “I threw about 80% of the pitches, which was a step up from my first bullpen pitch on the 23rd.” He added, “I tried all the pitch types, and I think my control was good.”
He continued, “My body is adapting well to pitching,” and “Preparations for pitching in the opening game are proceeding without any problems.”
The catcher who received the ball thrown by Ryu Hyun-jin the day before was Lee Jae-won (37), who is of the same age. The two teamed up for the first time in 19 years after forming a battery in the youth national team in 2005.
Regarding this, Ryu Hyun-jin said, “I threw comfortably (because Jaewon was there),” and “I didn’t feel any discomfort after a long time.”
If all goes according to plan, Ryu Hyun-jin will start in both the regular season opener against the LG Twins on March 23rd and the home opener against the KT Wiz on the 29th.
Regarding this, Ryu Hyun-jin said, “I think it will be different,” and “I think it will be meaningful to pitch in both the away and home openers in a single season. I remember that I never did that even when I played in the KBO league in the past. It’s been a long time since I came back and I’ll do that. “It’s nice to be able to do it,” he said.
However, he did not let down his nerves, saying, “We need to prepare a lot because the opponent in the season opener and home opener is a strong team that made it to the Korean Series last year,” and “I think we need to study a lot because there are many hitters we don’t know.”
With a month left until the start of the regular season, Hanwha coach Choi Won-ho decided on the starting pitcher for the first game early. This means that the trust and expectations for Ryu Hyun-jin are high.
Ryu Hyun-jin was also able to prepare for the season smoothly. He said, “I feel at ease because I know it quickly,” and added, “If you know the regular season pitching schedule after the exhibition game, you may not have enough time to prepare. In that respect, I think it’s good (the pitching schedule is confirmed quickly).” showed a reaction.
Ryu Hyun-jin, who ended his career in Major League Baseball (MLB), signed a contract with Hanwha for an 8-year contract with a total of 17 billion won, and expressed his ambition to advance to the postseason this season and win the championship within 8 years. He once again pledged to achieve this goal.
Ryu Hyun-jin said, “The team has been reinforced with many good players such as Ahn Chi-hong, Kim Kang-min, and Lee Jae-won, and the young players have shown sufficient skills by gaining experience for a year or two. Now, I think the only thing left to do is for the team to go up.” “Because there are so many, we must advance to fall baseball this season and win the championship within eight years,” he emphasized.
Lastly, he said to the fans, “The players are working hard. We will prepare well so that we can reach great heights this season, so I hope you will give us a lot of support.”
Reporter Kim Won-geun Photo News 1
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2024-04-01 22:49:17