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Yang Eui-ji of the Doosan Bears welcomed the return of Ryu Hyun-jin (Hanwha Eagles), the "motor of joining the team" who returned to the Korean stage after 12 years. Yang Eui-ji expected Ryu Hyun-jin to add more strength to the success of the Korean baseball, just like Choo Shin-soo (SSG Landers), who came to the KBO League from the Major League.
Yang Eui-ji and Ryu Hyun-jin, who were born in 1987, joined Doosan and Hanwha in 2006, respectively, through the rookie draft.
Ryu has been on a roll since his first season when he joined the team. Having been nominated twice in the second round in 2006, Ryu ranked first in multiple wins (18 wins), ERA (2.23), and strikeouts (204) in the 2006 season, establishing a triple crown. Ryu swept all of the 2006 MVP, Rookie of the Year and Golden Gloves for pitchers.
Since then, Ryu has pitched in 190 KBO league games (1,269 innings) until 2012, and achieved stellar performance with 98 wins, 52 losses, one save, 1,238 strikeouts and a 2.80 ERA. Ryu challenged the U.S. stage by wearing the LA Dodgers uniform through the Major League posting system.
Ryu became an FA after joining the Dodgers from 2013 to 2019. Ryu continued his Major League career by signing a four-year FA contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. After agonizing over his future career after the 2023 season ends, he finally made a decision at the end of February. Ryu returned to the KBO league after signing the largest eight-year contract worth 17 billion won (approx.
Unlike Ryu, Yang did not stand out from the debut season. After returning from military service in the Korean police baseball team, Yang began to play in the first division somewhat later. Yang has been reborn as a catcher representing Korea as he became the starting goalkeeper of Doosan since the 2010 season. Yang had two hits and two walks from six times at bat in the 2012 season against Ryu.
"I played in Korea for about three years with Ryu Hyun-jin, and I haven't played that much," Yang Eui-ji said at the Miyazaki Spring Camp on Feb. 24. He is the best pitcher in Korea, just like then. I hope that he will come to Korea to make baseball more popular. Not only fans but also players seem to welcome him. It must not have been easy to make a decision to return to the team. I was amazed to see him throw the ball in the U.S., but I am also curious to see him play it in person." he nodded.
If he completes his eight-year contract, he can break Song's record of becoming the oldest player ever (43 years, 7 months, 7 days). Yang Eui-ji, who joined the team, could also be a meaningful picture if he can challenge the record together. However, Yang said, "The next eight years are too long. Moreover, I think I can't go that far because I'm a catcher (laughs). The first priority is to work hard and leave good memories for the rest of my contract."
With Ryu Hyun-jin's return, which is drawing keen attention from KBO league players, Hanwha immediately emerged as a dark horse in the round of five. Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop also viewed the return of Ryu Hyun-jin as a result of his team's ability to advance to the next round. The first to fourth starting lineups, which will lead to Ryu Hyun-jin, Peña, Sanchez, and Moon Dong-ju, are no matter where they compete.
Manager Lee said, "I never thought of the possibility of Ryu Hyun-jin's return, but now it's officially announced, so I have to consider that and try to win." With the addition of Ryu Hyun-jin, Hanwha has become very strong because all of the first and fourth starters are foreign player-level pitchers. Hanwha is not a comfortable team anymore. However, I think our team's performance is good, so I have to try it out."
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