*This content was translated by AI.
98 wins over seven years in the KBO League, 78 wins in Major League Baseball (MLB), and 23 wins after returning. Now, Ryu Hyun-jin is just one win away from 200 combined victories in Korea and the United States.
Ryu Hyun-jin (39, Hanwha Eagles) started against Kiwoom Heroes at Seoul Gocheok Sky Dome on the 12th in a 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League away game. He threw 89 pitches over five innings, allowing five hits, two walks, and three earned runs while recording nine strikeouts, securing his fourth win of the season (with two losses).
Having reached 120 career wins in the KBO League in his previous game, Ryu Hyun-jin extended his personal winning streak to two games on this day, earning his 199th combined victory in Korea and the United States. He now needs just one more win to reach the milestone.
Song Jin-woo (210 wins) is the only pitcher to achieve 200 career wins in the KBO League. Following him are, coincidentally, Yang Hyeon-jong (38, 188 wins) of the KIA Tigers and Kim Kwang-hyun (38, 180 wins) of the SSG Landers, both part of the so-called "Ryu-Yang-Kim" trio.
When combining his records from MLB and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), which are considered to be of higher quality than the KBO League, Ryu Hyun-jin would immediately jump to second place. He is now just one step away from becoming the second pitcher in history to reach 200 wins, following Song Jin-woo.
As the ace of the team this season, Ryu Hyun-jin delivered a perfect performance through the third inning. He allowed a hit to An Chi-hong in the first inning but started without any trouble, recording two strikeouts and finishing the first inning cleanly. The second and third innings ended with three up, three down.
In the fourth inning, with one out, he allowed consecutive hits. A defensive lapse compounded the issue, leading to his first run allowed when Trenton Brooks hit a fly ball to center field.
The fifth inning was the blemish. After striking out Kwon Hyuk-bin and Kim Geon-hee in succession, he recorded an impressive nine strikeouts through two outs in the fifth inning, showcasing dominant pitching. However, he suddenly faltered. After allowing a double to Seo Geon-chang, he walked Im Byung-wook on a straight pitch. He also committed an error, allowing An Chi-hong to hit his third hit of the day, resulting in two additional runs.
There was no issue in securing the win. He then retired Choi Ju-hwan on a shortstop ground ball. The sixth-inning lineup added another run, creating a large 9-3 lead before handing the ball to Jo Dong-wook. The bullpen held Kiwoom to two runs over the remaining four innings, handing Ryu Hyun-jin his fourth win of the season.
Ryu Hyun-jin faced Kiwoom batters with a variety of pitches, including a fastball reaching up to 147 km/h, 24 changeups, 17 cutters, 10 curveballs, and two sweepers.
This victory carried another meaning: it was Ryu Hyun-jin's first win at Gocheok Sky Dome. The stadium opened in November 2015, during Ryu's time in MLB. Since returning to Hanwha in 2024, he has appeared four times at Gocheok Dome, but the results were one loss without a win, with an ERA of 5.91.
Although his ERA rose slightly from 3.25 to 3.51 due to the shaky moment in the fifth inning, the victory was even more significant as it contributed to the team's three-game winning streak. Additionally, Hanwha climbed to joint sixth place with this win.
After the game, Kim Kyung-moon, the manager, praised Ryu Hyun-jin, saying, "Starting pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin pitched well and set the tone for the game."
Ryu Hyun-jin did not focus on personal records. After the game, he said, "199 combined wins in Korea and the U.S., and my first win at Gocheok, these don't mean much (laughs)," but added, "The score was high in the early innings, so I pitched comfortably. I didn't win because I played well; we won because the batters scored a lot of runs for me."
Ryu Hyun-jin expressed gratitude to Noh Si-hwan, who blocked a ground ball from Kwon Hyuk-bin with his body during the defensive play in the bottom of the third inning. He also made a playful request: "Si-hwan hit a bases-loaded home run today, but I hope he hits a home run again during his next appearance."
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*This content was translated by AI.
