It feels like just yesterday since the Los Angeles Dodgers rookie days, but time has truly flown by. Ryu Hyun-jin (38, Hanwha Eagles) and Yasiel Puig (35, Kiwoom Heroes), who met again in Korea after leaving the U.S., caught up and reminisced about old times. They looked just like they did during their Dodgers days, laughing and joking with each other.

Ryu Hyun-jin and Puig attracted attention as they faced off in pitching and hitting at Hanwha Life Park in Daejeon on the 11th. The two players, who debuted in Major League Baseball wearing Dodgers uniforms in 2013, spent six years together until 2018. Both Ryu Hyun-jin, the first player to go straight to the KBO League from the big leagues, and Puig, who defected from Cuba, have the commonality of being newcomers from different countries, and they developed a close friendship despite the language barrier.

After the 2018 season, Puig was traded to the Cincinnati Reds, and on May 20, 2019, the two players faced each other for the first time in Major League Baseball. At that time, Dodgers starter Ryu Hyun-jin held Puig, the Reds' cleanup hitter, to three at-bats and no hits, and in this re-match held in Korea after six years, Ryu again dominated with three at-bats and no hits, striking out once.

In the first inning, they greeted each other by adjusting their caps but focused on the competition, suppressing their smiles. After the game, Ryu noted, "It was good to face Puig again after a long time. It was nice to see him again. I never thought I would be facing a player I had been close with on the same team in Korea. I tried to concentrate as much as possible not to let him hit me." He added, "After hitting flies in the first two at-bats, I thought Puig would look at me, but he didn’t. Today, since it was my start day, I couldn’t talk before the game, but I think I’ll be able to tomorrow."

On the 12th, after finishing training, Ryu waited for Puig in front of the first base dugout. The Kiwoom players began warming up from the third base side, and Ryu happily waved both arms toward Puig. Puig quickly ran over to Ryu. The two players shook hands and shared a light hug as they greeted each other warmly. Puig, nestled in Ryu's arms, smiled broadly, and a smile also spread across Ryu's face.

Then Ryu immediately grabbed the bat that Puig was holding. He tapped it, fiddled with it, and swung it around. Puig, who was stifled by Ryu the day before, joked, "I should have bunted. If you weren’t so slow on your feet, I would have survived," to which Ryu responded by mockingly jumping in place, eliciting laughter. As the Kiwoom players began their meeting, Puig turned back toward the third base side, leaving the short encounter behind. The bat remained in Ryu's hands.

After finishing pre-game training, Puig met Ryu again and decided to gift him one of his bats. He intended to select a bat that did not fit his own weight and personally hand it to Ryu.

Kiwoom's 40-year-old veteran outfielder Lee Yong-kyu also joined the conversation with the two players, naturally leading to discussions about age. Puig joked with Ryu, "Aren't you going to be the oldest pitcher in the league by the time your eight-year contract is up?"

Ryu Hyun-jin, who signed an eight-year contract worth 17 billion won with Hanwha last February, is under contract until 2031. By then, Ryu will be 44 years old. There has never been a 44-year-old active player in the KBO League. The oldest season recorded was when Hanwha's Song Jin-woo played at 43 in 2009, and Samsung's Oh Seung-hwan also reached 43 this year.

When the two players first met with the Dodgers in 2013, Ryu was 26 years old, and Puig was 23, both in their youthful and ambitious days. Now, 12 years have passed, and both players are in their mid-to-late 30s. They found themselves having conversations about age and experience as seasoned veterans. However, when they smiled and joked with each other, they seemed just like the Dodgers of their 20s.

Though time has passed, both players are still going strong. Ryu has recorded 1 win with a 2.35 ERA, a WHIP of 0.91, and a batting average against of .214 with 4 games (23 innings) this season. Puig, who returned to Kiwoom after three years, is heating up with a batting average of .247 (18 hits out of 73 at-bats), 3 home runs, 11 RBIs, and an OPS of .726 across 18 games.

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