Ryu Hyun-jin, the Korea of 'Arrived in South Korea', said, "The most impressive player was Sanchez, I envy you for your good ball, advice from juniors? The KBO season is important, but in international competitions..." [Incheon Airport Site]

*This content was translated by AI.

Ryu Hyun-jin (39, Hanwha Eagles), a living legend of Korean baseball, expressed his feelings after completing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) tournament after returning home.

The Korean baseball team returned home through Incheon International Airport's first passenger terminal on the morning of the 16th.

The national team achieved the feat of advancing to the second round for the first time in 17 years since the 2009 WBC competition. In particular, in the final match of the first round against Australia, he wrote a drama that broke through the "number of cases" of a miracle and reached the quarterfinals. Although they suffered a cold game defeat in the seventh inning with 0-10 showing their difference in skills in the quarterfinals against the Dominican Republic, fans applauded generously.

Ryu Hyun-jin said in an interview with reporters after returning home, "Unfortunately, I came back without doing it until the end, but I think it's too bad. Still, it was an infinite honor to be with young players as a national team until the end."

Asked what he talked about to his juniors after the Dominican Republic match, he said, "I don't think I talked about anything special. I think the players must have felt it. I think all 29 players there felt the same. They were also really good players. I think the players must have felt a lot just by looking at it," he said.

Starting with the 2006 Doha Asian Games, Ryu Hyun-jin participated in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2009 WBC, and the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, greatly contributing to the propaganda of Korean baseball. With the national flag for the first time in 16 years, he silently led his juniors as a veteran.

Regarding the Taegeuk mark, Ryu Hyun-jin said, "It was the national team that allowed me to play baseball so far. There were good moments and disappointing moments, but I think I have a lot of good memories while playing for the national team so far," he recalled.

Although it stopped in the quarterfinals, Korean baseball will continue to challenge itself to the world stage. Asked about advice to his juniors, he said, "I think the players must have felt what to do in the future now. At the ballpark... Of course, the Korean professional baseball season is important, but at the same time, I think the players should improve their skills little by little so that they can work in such international competitions. I felt the same way. But I think it was so good while we were together," he said, expressing his affection for his colleagues.

Regarding the recent talk of a "restraint revolution," he said, "I have not been a fast-paced player since I was young. Of course, it's good if the restraint is fast and the control is good. However, I think the first thing a pitcher needs to know what he's good at is to be a pitcher. I think it's right to find your own style. "Being restrained is important, but control is also important, so wouldn't it be better to make them have their own style?" he advised.

Finally, he thought for a moment about the most impressive foreign player, "Who's there?" and then said, "It's Sanchez who started in the last match against Dominica. He threw a really good ball. I was jealous again. The ball speed is fast, but all the breaking balls are well controlled. Sanchez is memorable," he said.

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*This content was translated by AI.