"Korean national flag for the first time in 16 years." Ryu Hyun-jin's return match is against Hanwha... "Another team." Roh Sihwan and Moon Hyunbin are disappointed [Okinawa Station]

*This content was translated by AI.

The first real opponent of "Korean Monster" Ryu Hyun-jin (39), who won the Taegeuk mark in 16 years, has been decided by his former team Hanwha Eagles.

Ryu Ji-hyun, head coach of the Korean national baseball team, said ahead of the first practice game against the Samsung Lions at Akama Ball Park in Onnason, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan on the 20th, "The starting player on the 21st is Ryu Hyun-jin. I'm not going out because my opponent is Hanwha. The order is all set," he said.

The national team players, who have been called up to Okinawa, Japan, since the 14th, started the match against Samsung on the 20th. It is for the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) in Tokyo, Japan, from March 5, and will play a total of six practice games in Okinawa alone, including Hanwha (Kadena Stadium) on the 21st and 23rd, KIA Tigers (Kadena Stadium) on the 24th, Samsung (Onnason Stadium) on the 26th, and KT Wiz (Kadena Stadium) on the 27th.

After that, the national team will move to Osaka, Japan, and have its last warm-up match with the Hanshin Tigers of the Japanese Professional Baseball (NPB) on the 2nd and the Orix Buffaloes on the 3rd at Kyocera Dome.

Recently, the national team has been making all-out efforts to prevent injury. Ahead of the final entry announcement, Kim Ha-sung (Atlanta Braves), Song Sung-moon (San Diego Padres), Tommy Edman (LA Dodgers) and Moon Dong-joo (Hanwha) were excluded due to injuries. Even after the final 30 entries of the tournament were announced on the 6th, three people were injured, including Choi Jae-hoon (Hanwha), Won Tae-in (Samsung), and Riley O'Brien (St. Louis Cardinals).

As such, caution was also felt in the first practice match against Samsung. In August last year, Kim Do-young (KIA Tigers), who played in a real game for the first time in about seven months after a hamstring injury, was named the designated hitter. The number of pitchers' pitches was also limited to 20 in one inning and the game was also reduced from 9 innings to 7 innings.

Due to many restrictions, the early practice game in Okinawa seemed to be disappointing in terms of interest. However, Ryu Hyun-jin, who returned to the national team for the first time in 16 years since the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, drew a lot of attention as he faced his former team Hanwha for the first time.

Ryu Hyun-jin is a franchise star who has played only in Hanwha in the KBO league since joining as the second runner-up in the second round of the 2006 KBO Rookie Draft. He entered the U.S. Major League Baseball (ML) with his military career and won 78 games in 11 seasons there.

Ryu Hyun-jin was also a monster even after returning to Hanwha in 2024. At the age of 37, he had a three-point ERA for two consecutive years and 19 wins (15 losses). Last year, he led the team to re-enter the Korean Series for the first time in 19 years as an axis of the starting lineup.

Ryu Hyun-jin is performing above average even when his fastball speed is difficult to hit 150km/h after his prime. For that reason, the completion of high breaking balls such as main weapons change-up and cutters and pin point control are cited. Above all, the level control and game management, which change depending on the opponent and the situation, are at the highest level in the league.

Except for the blue-and-white games in hand, it is the best opportunity for Hanwha hitters who have not experienced Ryu Hyun-jin. In that respect, Noh Si-hwan and Moon Hyun-bin, who became the same teammates after Hanwha, would be rather disappointed. However, the interesting moment is about to pass. While starter Ryu Hyun-jin is also expected to throw up to two innings, the number of pitches per pitcher was set at 20 or less this time.

Another interesting point is how Ryu Hyun-jin will cope with the pitch clock a little faster than the KBO league. World Baseball (WBC) pitch clock rules apply. It is 30 seconds between at-bats, 15 seconds between pitches (18 seconds when there is a runner), 2 times the limit on the departure of the pitcher's plate, and 1 time for batters per at-bat. The pitch clock will be used for simple pitch clock installation, but Hanwha has no sanctions even if it violates it.

The inning shift time is 2 minutes and 40 seconds, and the pitcher replacement time is 2 minutes and 15 seconds, and the national team uses WBC official balls and Samsung uses KBO official balls. Even if the national team's batters are replaced by defense, they can hit again if they return to the batter's box.

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*This content was translated by AI.