"It is truly a joy to compete with such a person" – Debut in 2006 vs. Birth: First Starting Pitcher Matchup, Six Games and Three Games of Draws – A "Desperate Battle"

*This content was translated by AI.

'Debut in 2006 vs. Birth.'

On the 13th at Seoul Jamsil Stadium, an intriguing starting pitcher matchup has been set for the Hanwha Eagles-Doosan Bears game. Ryu Hyun-jin (39, Hanwha), who debuted in professional baseball in 2006, will face Choi Min-seok (20, Doosan), born in the same year, in a "19-year age gap" showdown.

Born in 1987, Ryu Hyun-jin graduated from Dongsan High School in 2006 and joined Hanwha, where he won the Rookie of the Year and MVP awards simultaneously after leading the league in wins (18), ERA (2.23), and strikeouts (204) in his first season. Choi Min-seok, born on July 2, the same year Ryu Hyun-jin was making a sensation, attended Seoul High School and was selected by Doosan in the second round, 16th overall, of the 2025 Rookie Draft; he is now in his second professional season as a pitcher.

This marks the first time these two have faced each other as starting pitchers. Choi Min-seok has started twice against Hanwha since his debut: on July 23 last year at Jamsil, he faced Hwang Jun-seo, and on June 24 this year in Daejeon, he faced Hernandez.

Until the end of the first half of this season, Choi Min-seok and Ryu Hyun-jin were engaged in a fierce battle for the top spot in wins, ERA, and winning percentage. At that time, in an interview with StarNews, Choi Min-seok said, "I have watched (Senior) Ryu Hyun-jin so much since his Los Angeles Dodgers days, and I am so happy and truly joyful to be competing against someone like him."

Regardless of such deep emotions, this matchup finds both pitchers in a situation where victory is more urgent than ever before.

Choi Min-seok recorded his ninth win of the season on July 5 against the Kiwoom Heroes but has since gone 1-3 in three games, falling into what is considered an "unlucky nine." In the July 24 game against Samsung Lions, he allowed a disastrous 10 runs (four earned) over just 2⅔ innings, causing his ERA (2.64) to drop to second place in the league. A win on this day would allow him to share first place in wins again alongside Im Chan-kyu (LG Twins), Wang Yencheng (Hanwha), and Ole (KIA Tigers), all of whom have 10 wins.

After securing his eighth win on June 11 against KIA, Ryu Hyun-jin failed to add another victory for over two months, recording only one loss in six games. In the previous three starts, he delivered quality starts (six innings or more with three earned runs or fewer) but did not get the win; however, in his most recent three outings, he has struggled, allowing four runs in each game consecutively. Although he is short by two-thirds of an inning to meet the qualification threshold, his season ERA has risen to 3.41.

Both pitchers have favorable head-to-head records against their opponents. Choi Min-seok has gone 2-0 with no losses in three career games against Hanwha (two starts), posting a 1.42 ERA. Ryu Hyun-jin, since returning to the U.S. Major Leagues in 2024, has also performed well against Doosan, going 3-1 in seven games with a 2.27 ERA.

This is a crucial game for both teams, which have split one win each during this week's three-game series. Doosan, now in fifth place, and Hanwha, currently in sixth and trailing by 4.5 games, are expected to go all out to secure a winning series.

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*This content was translated by AI.