I Didn’t Even Attend… Ryu Hyun-jin Became a Hot Topic at the Opening Media Day
Fans cheer as Hanwha coach Choi Won-ho announces the opening game selections
Ahead of the opening of the 2024 professional baseball season, the player whose name was called the most as each team submitted their entries was ‘Returning Korean Monster’ Ryu Hyun-jin (Hanwha Eagles).
Ryu Hyun-jin was constantly on the lips of coaches and players from 10 teams at the 2024 season opening media day held at the Lotte Hotel in Sogong-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul on the 22nd.
In fact, Ryu Hyun-jin did not attend the event on this day due to his schedule to start the opening game against the LG Twins at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 23rd.
It was an opportunity to guess how passionate baseball people and fans are about him. 파워볼사이트
Baseball fans cheered just hearing Ryu Hyun-jin’s name called.
When it was each team’s turn to reveal the starting pitchers for the opening game, Hanwha coach Choi Won-ho expressed, “We will have Ryu Hyun-jin, who is not available on other teams, in the opening game.”
Baseball fans sitting in the stands clapped and cheered at Coach Choi’s special introduction.
Coaches and players from other teams were wary of Ryu Hyun-jin.
Coach Beom-ho Lee, the new head coach of the KIA Tigers, said, “Hanwha has recruited many good players, including Ryu Hyun-jin,” and added, “I think it will be a good season even if we win even half of our opponents’ records.”
KIA is considered a candidate for the championship due to its solid performance this season.
KIA members, including coach Beom-ho Lee, publicly set their goal for this season as winning the Korean Series.
However, it was expected that there would be a tight competition with Hanwha, a lower-ranked team.
Lim Chan-gyu, the LG Twins’ native starting pitcher, spoke about LG coach Yeom Kyung-yeop’s statement that about two wins should be deducted from the season’s target number of wins due to Ryu Hyun-jin’s return.
Lim Chan-gyu said, “I think you said that because the best pitcher in Korea has returned,” and expressed his determination, saying, “We will work harder and try to make up for the two wins missing from our target number of wins.”
When asked about the significance of Ryu Hyun-jin’s return to the KBO League, coach Yeom Kyung-yeop recently drew attention by saying, “It will take about two wins from the target number of wins.”
Native starters who had to compete for individual titles were also conscious of Ryu Hyun-jin’s return.
KT Wiz’s native ace Go Young-pyo said, “It’s an honor just to compete with senior Ryu Hyun-jin,” and added, “But I will try not only to surpass the quality start but also the number of wins.”
Ryu Hyun-jin, who played a big role in the American Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2013 to last year, recently signed with his former team Hanwha after qualifying as a free agent (FA).
