Ryu Hyun-jin (Hanwha Eagles), who won the national flag for the first time in 16 years, has smoothly prepared for the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC).
The South Korean national baseball team, led by head coach Ryu Ji-hyun, drew 3-3 with the Hanshin Tigers of the Japanese Professional Baseball (NPB) in a warm-up match held at Kyocera Dome in Osaka, Japan on the 2nd.
This game is an official warm-up match organized by the WBC Secretariat. Ryu Ji-hyun, who improved his sense of play through the match after joining overseas players and Korean players on the 1st, will hold another warm-up match with the Orix Buffaloes at the same place on the 3rd. After that, the tournament will begin its schedule.
사진 확대 The World Baseball Classic warm-up match between the Korean national team and the Hanshin Tigers of the Japanese professional baseball team was held at Kyocera Dome in Osaka, Japan on the 2nd. Ryu Hyun-jin, who finished the inning without losing a point in a row in the bottom of the sixth inning and the seventh inning, is smiling as he heads to the dugout. Photo = Yonhap News 
사진 확대 At the World Baseball Classic warm-up match between the Korean national team and the Hanshin Tigers of the Japanese professional baseball league held at Kyocera Dome in Osaka, Japan on Sunday. Korean Ryu Hyun-jin is pitching hard in the bottom of the sixth inning. Photo = Yonhap News
Ryu Hyun-jin’s performance was a brilliant game. He took the mound in the bottom of the sixth inning with Hanshin at 3-3, tying leadoff hitter Maegawa Ukyo with a ground ball to shortstop. Hayato Nakagawa and Nozomu Takatera then handled them with a ground ball to the first base and a ground ball to the pitcher, respectively.
His pitching continued in the bottom of the seventh inning. Onodera Dan and Fushimi Dorai were cooked with a grounder to the pitcher and a grounder to the first base. He gave up a missed heavy hit to Shogo Tanabata, but he finished his mission on the day by leading Ryuhei Obata to a straight hit to shortstop.
The final result was one hit and no run in two innings. Most of the fastball arrests were formed in the early 140km, but instead blocked Hanshin hitters with seasoned game management centered on breaking balls. In addition, sharp control also doubled the power of the ball.
“The most impressive Korean player is Ryu Hyun-jin,” manager Fujikawa Kyu-ji Hanshin said after the game. “I’ve known him well since I was an active player. I’m a veteran pitcher now, and I think the width of the pitch is greater than before,” he said with his tongue.
사진 확대 At the World Baseball Classic warm-up match between the Korean national team and the Hanshin Tigers of the Japanese professional baseball league held at Kyocera Dome in Osaka, Japan on Sunday. Korean Ryu Hyun-jin is pitching hard in the bottom of the seventh inning. Photo = Yonhap News
“Ryu Hyun-jin is the leader of Korean pitchers both psychologically and in terms of pitching (ability),” he added.
Ryu Hyun-jin said with a bright smile, “My ball control was good and my speed was up to 145km on the electronic display, which went up more than in Okinawa (second camp),” adding, “Since I’m not a strikeout pitcher, it’s a good result to have a lot of ground balls like today.”
In name and reality, Ryu Hyun-jin is a left-hander representing Korean baseball. He made his professional debut in 2006 in Hanwha’s uniform and recorded 117 wins, 67 losses, one save and a 2.95 ERA in 244 KBO league games (1566.2 innings). In the 2013-2023 season, he entered the Major League Baseball (MLB) and played 186 games (1055.1 innings) with 78 wins, 48 losses, one save and an ERA of 3.27.
He continued to play in international competitions. Starting with the 2006 Doha Asian Games, he played under the national flag at the 2007 Asian Baseball Championship, the final qualifying round for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2009 WBC, and the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games.
Since then, Ryu Hyun-jin has moved away from the national team regardless of his will due to entering the big league and injuries, but he has expressed his willingness to play in the WBC. After 16 years, he was wearing the national flag again, showing the dignity of a veteran, and announcing that his preparations for the WBC appearance were completed.
Ryu Hyun-jin said, “I will build up my body a little more before the opening of the WBC, and I am doing well overall in both my speed and control.”
사진 확대 The World Baseball Classic warm-up match between the Korean national team and the Hanshin Tigers of Japanese pro baseball took place at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka, Japan on Sunday. Ryu finished the inning without allowing a run in the bottom of the seventh inning, and is heading to the dugout. Photo = Yonhap News
[Lee Hanjoo, MK Sports Reporter]