Ryu Hyun-jin, who is visiting Tokyo Dome for the first time in 17 years, said to Jung Woo-joo, "Let's throw a lot of strikes today!"

*This content was translated by AI.

Hanwha Eagles legend Ryu Hyun-jin (39) left strong advice for Hanwha's future Jung Woo-joo (20) who will be the second pitcher against the Czech Republic on the mound at the Tokyo Dome, which he will step on again for the first time in 17 years as a member of the national team.

Ryu Hyun-jin expressed his determination to participate in this tournament with his thoughts on visiting Tokyo Dome after a long time after training at Tokyo Dome in Japan ahead of the first Group C match of the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) at Tokyo Dome in Japan on the 5th.

Ryu Hin-jin did not lose his unique relaxed smile by jokingly saying, "I've aged a lot," saying that he visited this place for the first time in 17 years since the 2009 WBC.

One of the topics of the interview was Jung Woo-joo, a promising pitcher for the Hanwha Eagles. Ryu Hyun-jin expressed deep trust in Jung Woo-joo, who was named the second pitcher against the Czech Republic, saying, "He is a player with good pitching."

When asked what advice he gave as a senior, Ryu Hyun-jin replied, "I always tell you to throw a lot of strikes." In the big stage of international competitions and regulations with limits on the number of pitches, he emphasized that the key to the game is to believe in his strong pitching and continue to throw aggressively.

Ryu Hyun-jin, who is likely to start against Taiwan or Australia, also expressed a strategic approach to the tournament's restrictions on the number of pitches. "We should think that we are responsible for one inning and one inning rather than the concept of a starting pitcher (because there is a limit on the number of pitches)," he said. "It is more important to prevent every inning clearly than to throw for a long time."

In addition, in line with the characteristics of the batter-friendly Tokyo Dome, where home runs well, he predicted elaborate pitching, saying, "I think we need to pay more attention to control and take a lot of low throwing matches."

The WBC national team's mound, represented by Ryu Hyun-jin's skill and Jung Woo-joo's spirit, is receiving expectations from baseball fans. In particular, Ryu Hyun-jin said, "I always try to instill confidence in Woo-joo," showing that he is also playing a role as a mood maker as the team's oldest player.

Attention is focusing on what kind of drama Ryu Hyun-jin, who was called the "Monster" and commanded the Tokyo Dome 17 years ago, will now become a strong helper and write with the next-generation monster Jung Woo-joo.

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*This content was translated by AI.