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Ryu Hyun-jin's return is a catalyst for KBO's box office success... Interested in competing with Kim Gwang-hyun and Choo Shin-soo
Hanwha, which successfully strengthened its power in 'big matches' such as the first starting match with Kim Gwang-hyun and a two-hit match with Choo Shin-soo, is expected to have a positive impact on attracting KBO spectators.
From 2013 to 2023, Ryu Hyun-jin (36) enriched the ‘history of Korean major leaguers.’
Ryu Hyun-jin, who returned to the Hanwha Eagles after 12 years, has now become the highest-grossing card in the KBO League of Korean professional baseball.
With Ryu Hyun-jin returning to the KBO League, a confrontation that will excite Korean baseball fans is expected to continue. 온라인카지노사이트
The last game Ryu Hyun-jin pitched in the KBO League before advancing to the big league was against Daejeon Kiwoom Heroes (then Nexen) on October 4, 2012.
At this time, Ryu Hyun-jin pitched 10 innings, allowing 4 hits and 1 run, but the team was tied 1-1 and was unable to secure a win.
Most of the Hanwha fielders who were behind Ryu Hyun-jin in that game retired.
Only Ha Ju-seok remains at Hanwha, and there are only two active players, Ha Ju-seok and Oh Seon-jin (Lotte Giants).
However, there are still players in the KBO league who have a deep relationship with Ryu Hyun-jin.
The confrontation with Kim Gwang-hyun (35), the left-handed duo who led the heyday of Korean baseball with Ryu Hyun-jin, Choo Shin-soo (41), the most successful Korean hitter in the major leagues among Koreans, and Choi Jeong (35, SSG Landers), who was very strong to Ryu Hyun-jin, will be held in the KBO League in 2024. It is considered a big match.
The return match with Hwang Jae-gyun (36, KT Wiz), a friend of the same age who I remember playing against in the big league, is also interesting.
Ryu Hyun-jin stayed in the big league for 11 years, appearing in 186 games, posting 78 wins, 48 losses, 1 save, and an ERA of 3.27.
There was also a two-hit battle with a Korean big leaguer.
The American Major League also paid attention to his match with senior Choo Shin-soo.
On July 28, 2013, when Ryu Hyun-jin entered the big league wearing the Los Angeles Dodgers uniform, he faced Choo Shin-soo, who was playing for the Cincinnati Reds at the time, and went 0-hit in 2 at-bats and 1 walk.
He gave up a walk in his first at-bat, but later turned it around with a grounder to first base and a strikeout.
Afterwards, there was no two-hitting match between Ryu Hyun-jin and Choo Shin-soo.
In the 2024 KBO League, the opportunity to compete in a two-stroke battle has come again.
Choo Shin-soo, who wore the SSG uniform in 2021, announced his retirement after the end of the 2024 season, so it is only this year that the two can compete.
Choo Shin-soo said, "I'm looking forward to the match with Ryu Hyun-jin," and added, "I hope Ryu Hyun-jin will tell the younger players what he saw, heard, and felt in the United States.
I want to work together for the development of Korean baseball."
Ryu Hyun-jin, Korea's best pitcher in the 21st century, chose Choi Jeong as a 'batsman he didn't want to face' when he was playing for Hanwha.
Choi Jeong-eun hit 21 hits in 58 at-bats (batting average 0.362) and 4 home runs against Ryu Hyun-jin.
Before Ryu Hyun-jin's return was confirmed, Choi Jeong-eun said in an interview "Ryu Hyun-jin's pitch was fearsome in the past.
My prediction that 'this time he will throw a ball like this' was correct several times, and the opponent's batting average has increased."
He has become a more demanding pitcher by increasing the number of pitches in the major league.
When Ryu Hyun-jin returns to the KBO League, I hope people will avoid comments such as ‘Choi Jeong was strong against Ryu Hyun-jin.’
Honestly, I am not confident,” he said lowly.
However, in an online community where Korean baseball fans gathered, a post was written saying, "Only Choi Jeong (among other team's batters) laughs at Ryu Hyun-jin's return."
On July 31, 2017, Ryu Hyun-jin met Hwang Jae-gyun, who was playing for the San Francisco Giants at the time, and overwhelmed him with no hits in two at-bats.
An opportunity for revenge came to Hwang Jae-gyun.
In fact, the match that Korean baseball fans are most looking forward to is the first starting match between Ryu Hyun-jin and Kim Gwang-hyun, the left-handed duo representing Korean baseball.
Ryu Hyun-jin, who debuted with Hanwha in 2006, and Kim Gwang-hyun, who started his professional career with SK Wyverns (predecessor of SSG) in 2007, played together in the KBO for six seasons, but never faced each other.
They only met once each in the 2010 All-Star Game and the 2011 exhibition game.
The two were announced as starting pitchers in the Hanwha-SK match scheduled to be held at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon on May 23, 2010, but the match was postponed due to rain, so the matchup was canceled.
At that time, Ryu Hyun-jin and Kim Gwang-hyun only shook hands and parted ways after the decision to cancel the game.
Even in 2020-2021, when the two were active in the major leagues at the same time, the matchup did not take place.
In fact, Ryu Hyun-jin is expected to attract attention no matter which team he meets.
Last year, the total audience at Hanwha's home stadium was 566,785, ranking 9th out of 10 teams.
Hanwha's sluggish performance, which advanced to the postseason only once in 2018 in the 11 years since Ryu Hyun-jin left for the major league, led to a box office failure.
However, with Ryu Hyun-jin's return, Hanwha has emerged as the biggest variable in the battle for rankings in the 2024 season.
If Hanwha enters the battle for mid-tier status, it could also serve as a catalyst for the success of the KBO League.
In the free agent (FA) market, Chae Eun-seong was recruited last year and Ahn Chi-hong this year, and the national team's No. 4 hitter Noh Si-hwan and young ace Moon Dong-ju have grown together, so expectations for the 'effect of Ryu Hyun-jin's return' are growing.
A reservation war is expected for the games in which Ryu Hyun-jin is scheduled to start, regardless of whether they are home or away, and if Hanwha's performance improves, the total number of spectators in the KBO League could increase significantly.
The 2023 KBO League recorded the third largest audience of all time, with a total audience of 8,103,26, following the 2017 season (8,406,88) and the 2016 season (8,339,577).
We are looking beyond that in the 2024 season when Ryu Hyun-jin returns.