Hanwha beat Doosan in Jamsil and escaped from the long tunnel of its fifth consecutive loss.

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The Hanwha Eagles, led by head coach Choi Won-ho, won 3-0 in an away game against the Doosan Bears in the 2024 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League held at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 11th. Starting with the game against the Kiwoom Heroes on the 5th, Hanwha, which had dropped from first place to tied for fifth place by losing all five of the six away games in Seoul until the match against Doosan on the 10th, grabbed Doosan on the day and escaped from five consecutive losses, rising to fifth place (9 wins and 7 losses).

Hanwha’s Roh Si-hwan, who hit a timely hit in the middle with one out and the second base in the first inning, became the winner of the game, and Ahn Chi-hong, who played as the fifth baseman, showed off his good batting performance as he recorded his team’s only multi-hit and two RBIs. And on the day, Hanwha had as much good news as it had escaped consecutive losses. “Monster” Ryu Hyun-jin, who had been in a slump with two losses and an 8.36 ERA in his first three appearances since the season opened, became the winning pitcher in the KBO League for the first time in 4,216 days with one hit, two strikeouts and no runs in six innings.

If the return time is delayed, the big leaguer can’t do much. Most of the players who played in the major leagues return to KBO league and finish their careers. Of course, players who returned to Korea at a relatively young age, such as Kim Hyun-soo (LG Twins), Park Byung-ho, Hwang Jae-kyun (Kt Wiz), Kim Kwang-hyun (SSG Landers), and Yang Hyun-jong (KIA Tigers), often continue to perform well even after returning to KBO league. However, many players who return to KBO league at a late age after their heyday do not show good performance to Korean fans.

Park Chan-ho, who holds the record of most wins (124 wins) in the Asian Pitcher League in 2024, played in the Major League until 2010, played for the Orix Buffaloes in the Japanese pro baseball before joining the Hanwha Eagles in 2012. Hanwha fans expected Park Chan-ho, who returned from the Major League, and Ryu Hyun-jin, who is seeking to advance to the Major League, to play as a “one-two punch.” However, Park ended his career by posting disappointing results of 5 wins, 10 losses, and 5.06 in 23 games.

Kim Byung-hyun, a Korean-style nuclear-powered submarine with two World Series championship rings, also returned to the KBO league after playing in the Japanese pro baseball league like Park Chan-ho, joining the Nexen Heroes (currently Kiwoom) in 2012. However, Kim only had eight wins, 12 losses and three holds during his two years with the Nexen Heroes, and transferred to his hometown KIA Tigers through a trade in April 2014. However, Kim only added three more wins over the two years at KIA, ending his career with a poor record of 11 wins, 23 losses and five holds 6.19.

Choo Shin-soo, the “Choo Choo Train,” who played in the big league for 16 years and had a brilliant career, including one All-Star selection and three membership of the 20-20 club, joined SSG, which acquired the SK Wyverns ahead of the 2021 season. Of course, Choo joined the 20-20 club in his first year and contributed to SSG’s Korean Series victory in 2022. However, he failed to show his skills in his heyday when he returned to the KBO League at a late age in his late 30s, signaling his retirement after the end of this season.

Ryu Hyun-jin, who entered the big league in 2013 when he turned 26, played in the major leagues for 10 seasons until 2023, when he turned 36, and posted a good record of 78 wins, 48 losses, 1 save and 3.27. In 2023, his last season in the big league, he also showed competitiveness, recording a remarkable performance of 3 wins, 3 losses, and 3.46 in 11 games. Ryu Hyun-jin could have stayed in the big league if he did not insist on a multi-year contract, but on February 22, he signed a long-term contract with “friendly” Hanwha for the first time in 11 years for an eight-year total of 17 billion won.

Successful ‘Bear Hunt’ with 6 innings of 8K scoreless pitching. Ryu turned 37 years old on March 25. Ryu is no longer young in the league, as it is difficult to find a player who can play as a starting pitcher among his motivation to join the team. However, even in the Major League, there were expectations that Ryu, who showed competitiveness by playing ball control and hand-to-hand combat rather than ball control, would be able to perform at his best in the KBO League. This is why the Hanwha Eagles gave Ryu a long-term contract so that he can play until he turns 44 in 2031. 바카라

However, Ryu’s return to the KBO league was not an easy start. Ryu started the opening game against the LG Twins on March 23, but failed to last four innings and lost the game by allowing six hits, three walks, and five runs in 3.2 innings. Of course, Ryu gave only two earned runs as Moon’s error in the fourth inning served as a fatal negative factor. However, it was a disappointing pitch considering that it was a return game for Ryu, who pitched in a crowd with high expectations.

Ryu Hyun-jin, who left a disappointment in the opening game, seemed to quickly regain his senses as he recorded his first quality start of the season with eight hits, nine strikeouts and two runs in six innings against kt on March 29. However, Ryu Hyun-jin recorded his worst pitch since his professional debut with nine hits, two walks and two strikeouts in 4.1 innings against Kiwoom on the 5th. When Ryu Hyun-jin failed to win three games, doubts and criticism began to emerge even among Hanwha fans, who were welcoming at the time of his return.

However, Ryu garnered his first win since his return to Korea on Wednesday at his fourth game of this season against the Doosan Bears. After winning the previous two games, Ryu threw 94 pitches during six innings, allowing one hit, two walks and eight strikeouts without allowing any points. Having silenced Doosan’s batters with outstanding ball power that reached the maximum speed of 148 kilometers per hour, Ryu garnered his KBO League win and 99th career win in as many as 4,216 days since the game against Doosan Bears on Sept. 25, 2012.

Ryu’s annual salary this year is 2.5 billion won (2.5 million U.S. dollars), tying with LG’s catcher Park Dong-won as No. 1 in the league. In addition, considering Ryu’s stellar career, Hanwha fans naturally have no choice but to expect him to win at any game in which he takes the mound.