[breaking news] Ryu Hyun-jin is confirmed to be selected against Taiwan! Remembering the 2009 WBC 'Taiwan Killer' 17 years ago, he will take the lead in the quarterfinals

*This content was translated by AI.

The fate of Korean baseball has been left to the left arm of "Monster" Ryu Hyun-jin (39, Hanwha Eagles).

The South Korean national baseball team, led by head coach Ryu Ji-hyun, predicted Ryu Hyun-jin as the starting pitcher for the third Group C match of the 2026 WBC at Tokyo Dome, Japan, at 12 p.m. on the 8th. Ryu Hyun-jin's appearance is interpreted as the national team's strongest winning move toward victory in this game, which can virtually gauge the direction of qualifying for the quarterfinals.

For Ryu, the match against Taiwan at the Tokyo Dome is a place of promise. In 2009, when he was 22 years old, he started against Taiwan at the same place and showed three scoreless perfect innings, leading Korea to a 9-0 victory. Therefore, Taiwanese media seem to be concerned about Ryu Hyun-jin's "strong performance against Taiwan." Ryu Hyun-jin has earned a reputation as a "Taiwan killer" by completely blocking Taiwan's batters at major international competitions such as the 2009 WBC and the 2007 Beijing Olympics qualifying tournament.

Seventeen years have passed since then, but Ryu Hyun-jin's presence remains. Ryu Hyun-jin, who took the mound in relief in a warm-up match against the Hanshin Tigers on the 2nd and checked his condition with two scoreless innings, has been aiming for the match against Taiwan by getting enough rest. The fact that Taiwan's batters have traditionally been weak on left-handers with excellent control is also a factor that gives strength to the possibility of hitting Ryu Hyun-jin's starting card.

For Ryu Hyun-jin, who is 39 years old this year and is on the verge of a bullfight, this WBC is likely to be the last national flag. He, who was the main player in the 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medal and the 2009 WBC runner-up, will once again take the mound at Tokyo Dome to break the downturn in Korean baseball.

The "Korea-Taiwan match" will be held at 12 p.m. on the 8th on the hot mound at Tokyo Dome with the support of the whole nation. If they catch the match against Taiwan, they can get out of the shock of the defeat against Japan on the 7th and give a green light to their chances of advancing to the quarterfinals with 2 wins and 1 loss.

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*This content was translated by AI.