*This content was translated by AI.
Ryu Hyun-jin (39, Hanwha Eagles) has set another milestone in Korean baseball history. He became the first domestic pitcher to achieve 2,500 combined Korea-US strikeouts.
On the 19th, Ryu Hyun-jin started against the Kiwoom Heroes at Daejeon Hanwha Life Eagles Park in a 2026 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League home game and recorded his 2,500th strikeout by striking out Kwon Hyuk-bin with a swing-and-miss in the bottom of the second inning.
Entering the game, Ryu Hyun-jin had recorded 2,499 combined Korea-US strikeouts; this strikeout brought him to the historic milestone of 2,500.
The all-time KBO League strikeout leader is Yang Hyeon-jong (KIA) with 2,234 strikeouts, followed by Song Jin-woo (retired) with 2,048, and Kim Kwang-hyun (SSG) with 2,020. Ryu Hyun-jin accumulated 1,566 strikeouts in the KBO League and 934 in Major League Baseball (MLB), completing his 2,500 combined strikeout total.
Ryu Hyun-jin began his professional career on April 12, 2006, in his debut game against the Jamsil LG Twins, striking out first batter Ahn Jae-man with a swing-and-miss. That same year, he recorded 204 strikeouts to win the strikeout title. Adding wins and ERA, he achieved the pitcher's triple crown and swept both Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player (MVP) honors.
He went on to lead the league in strikeouts five times: 2007 (178), 2009 (188), 2010 (187), and 2012 (210), tying with former manager Seon Dong-yeol. Only three pitchers—Choi Dong-won, Seon Dong-yeol, and Ryu Hyun-jin—have recorded two or more seasons with 200 strikeouts.
On June 19, 2011, in a game against the Daejeon Doosan Bears, Ryu Hyun-jin became the youngest pitcher (24 years, 2 months, 25 days) and required the fewest games (153) to reach 1,000 strikeouts. He left for American baseball after the 2012 season.
Over seven seasons in the KBO League through 2012, Ryu Hyun-jin appeared in 190 games and recorded 1,238 strikeouts. He continued his success with the Los Angeles Dodgers in MLB, successfully rehabilitating after a career-threatening shoulder labrum surgery and dominating as the ERA leader in 2019. As a free agent (FA), he signed a four-year, $80 million (approximately 119.2 billion won) contract. After 11 seasons in the big leagues, he recorded 934 strikeouts before returning to his original team.
Ahead of the 2024 season, Ryu Hyun-jin signed an eight-year, 17 billion won deal and returned to the Hanwha Eagles. Through last year, he maintained a record of nine consecutive seasons with triple-digit strikeouts—the fourth such streak in history. On April 7, against the SSG Landers at Munhak Stadium, he surpassed 1,500 career KBO strikeouts. At age 39 years and 13 days, he set new records for fewest games and oldest pitcher to achieve the milestone simultaneously.
The game's ending was disappointing. Ryu Hyun-jin held opponents to one run over five innings but allowed three hits in the bottom of the sixth with one out and bases loaded, giving up a two-run single to designated hitter Kim Dong-heon. Although Hanwha still led 8-3, he handed the ball to Jang Yu-ho and surrendered another run, though he still met the victory condition. He pitched 5⅓ innings on 90 pitches, allowing eight hits, issuing two walks, recording seven strikeouts, and giving up four earned runs.
A routine victory was expected, but the bullpen collapsed. Relief pitcher Kang Jae-min struggled with control, facing a bases-loaded, no-out crisis. After surrendering two runs via Seo Geon-chang's one-run single and Noh Si-hwan's fielding error, he handed the ball to Jo Dong-wook. Jo allowed one run on a hit-by-pitch, gave up a two-run single to Hiura, and surrendered a sacrifice fly to Ahn Chi-hong to center field, ultimately tying the game at 9-9.
Neither team managed to score in the ninth inning, forcing extra innings. With no additional runs scored, the game ended in a tie after a long contest.
Ryu Hyun-jin, who had won six consecutive games since May, has not recorded a win since his June 11 matchup against the KIA Tigers. He has gone four consecutive starts without a decision, finishing with an 8-2 record. His ERA rose from 2.67 to 2.90, and with seven strikeouts added today, his combined Korea-US strikeout total reached 2,506.
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*This content was translated by AI.
