*This content was translated by AI.
South Korea's left-hander "Korean Monster" Ryu Hyun-jin (38, Hanwha Eagles) will take the starting mound in the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Coincidentally, the opponent is Christopher Sanchez (30, Philadelphia Phillies), a "major 30 wins" left-hander who has grown with a surprisingly similar trajectory to Ryu Hyun-jin. However, although it is not the best record, there is no reason for Ryu Hyun-jin to be discouraged in terms of the weight of the cumulative major league record.
The South Korean baseball team, led by head coach Ryu Ji-hyun (55), will play the 2026 World Baseball Classic quarterfinals against the Dominican Republic at Rondipo Park in Miami, Florida, at 7:30 a.m. on the 14th (Korea Standard Time). It is an important game in which the direction of the ticket to the semifinals is determined.
The starting pitcher matchup has been decided. Sanchez was revealed through multiple Dominican media on the 12th, and South Korea's Ryu Hyun-jin was confirmed and announced on the 13th. A left-hander face-off was made. The fact that the careers of the two pitchers overlap is already drawing great attention. Not only are they all left-handers, but they also deserve to be called "traditional" that they have ranked second in the voting for the Cy Young Award, the most prestigious pitcher award in the Major League.
If you look at the cumulative major league record, Ryu Hyun-jin's overwhelming advantage is revealed. Ryu Hyun-jin is one of the veterans who won 78 games (185 starts) in 186 major league games from the 2013 to 2023 season. The opponent's 30 wins are also meaningful, but their weight is different from Ryu Hyun-jin's 78 wins on the world's best stage.
Ryu's strength is not just in wins. When he ranked second in Cy Young in the 2019 season, he had a 2.32 ERA in the regular league. To that extent, he has the ability to manage crises and control like a blade that he has learned throughout his life. Although Sanchez, the opponent's starter, has a history of ranking second in the National League Cy Young in the 2025 season, Ryu Hyun-jin is expected to face off with a seasoned operation that completely takes away the opponent's hitting timing.
In the end, it is important not to be pushed out of the "gi fight." Although he has now returned to the domestic stage, Ryu Hyun-jin is already a pitcher who has made a mark in major league history. Even though the opponent shares the brilliant title of Cy Young's second place, it's just another mountain to climb for Ryu Hyun-jin, who has become a winning pitcher in the major leagues 78 times. In the quarterfinals, the first game of the second round, the limit on the number of pitches will be about 30 more than in the first round because each pitcher has to be cut within 80 pitches.
Fans are looking forward to the return of a monster that will roar on the mound once again. Attention is focusing on whether Ryu Hyun-jin will be able to become a winning pitcher by proving the "class difference" with Kwan-rok's pitching.
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*This content was translated by AI.
