The winning streak bomb of the Hanwha Eagles has returned to Ryu Hyun-jin (38). While the pressure to break the losing streak isn't as heavy, continuing the winning streak can be quite burdensome. Even Ryu Hyun-jin is aware of this.

After holding the Samsung game in Daejeon to 5 innings and 2 runs on the 6th, Ryu Hyun-jin, who led Hanwha to an 8-game winning streak, smiled and said, "I desperately prayed that the winning streak wouldn't end at my expense. Now the next bomb has been passed to Moon Dong-joo."

Previously, on the 24th of last month, Ryu Hyun-jin made an appearance during an 8-game winning streak against Lotte in Sajik, but ended up taking the loss with 6 innings and 4 earned runs. His record of the most consecutive starting victories for Hanwha at 8 games was broken on the day he pitched, and as the team's winning streak continued, the burden to keep it going grew.

For Ryu Hyun-jin, it can feel like a new world. Last year, he appeared much more often during losing streaks. He pitched in 8 games during losing streaks, recording 3 wins and 3 losses personally and the team at 4 wins and 4 losses. This year, he has only appeared once during a losing streak, which was on the 5th of last month against Samsung in Daegu, where he faced a loss but was saved by Moon Hyun-bin's back-to-back home runs for a comeback victory, breaking the team's 4-game losing streak. In contrast, he has pitched 6 games while the team is on a winning streak, recording 3 wins and 2 losses, with the team at 4 wins and 2 losses.

The 8-game winning streak bomb that Ryu Hyun-jin passed on the 6th was continued by Moon Dong-joo on the 7th in the Samsung game, holding 6 innings and 2 runs, leading to a 9-game winning streak. Hanwha also swept the Kiwoom series from the 8th to the 10th. On the first day, Eom Sang-baek gave up 4 solo home runs and was taken out after 3⅔ innings with 4 earned runs, but thanks to the offense's concentration, the team made a comeback victory. Then, KODI Ponsae (6 innings, 1 earned run) and Ryan Weiss (8 innings, no earned runs) both achieved consecutive starting wins.

Hanwha succeeded in a 10-game winning streak for the first time in 26 years since 1999, and then surged to an 11-12 game winning streak for the first time in 26 years since the Binggrae era in 1992, as the "13-game winning streak bomb" has now been passed to Ryu Hyun-jin. He aims for the 13-game winning streak as a starting pitcher in the home game against Doosan on the 13th in Daejeon.

This season, Ryu Hyun-jin has pitched 46⅓ innings over 8 games, recording a record of 4 wins and 1 loss with an earned run average of 2.91, 38 strikeouts, and a WHIP of 1.10. He has pitched more than 5 innings in all 8 games, with no early exits. Unlike last year, when he frequently gave up large runs, this year, the most runs given up in a game is 4, with 6 games where he allowed 2 earned runs or less.

Although his velocity has dropped, Ryu Hyun-jin is showcasing his durability through sharp control and timing battles, receiving help from the defense as well. During the 46⅓ innings that Ryu Hyun-jin has pitched this season, the Hanwha defense has not committed a single error. Last year, while pitching 158⅓ innings, he had 12 errors excluding his own. He struggled with an average of 0.68 errors per 9 innings.

However, this year, with the addition of good defenders such as shortstop Shim Woo-jun and center fielder Estevan Florial, Ryu Hyun-jin is utilizing the defense in his pitching. His ground ball/fly ball out ratio is 1.54, indicating he has been inducing more ground balls than last year (1.30), and Shim Woo-jun has reliably handled those.

However, there was a significant variable in the Doosan game on the 13th. Shim Woo-jun was removed from the first team roster due to an injury from being hit by a pitch. He was struck on the left knee by a pitch from Son Hyun-ki in the 4th inning of the Kiwoom game on the 10th and replaced due to a bruise. On the 12th, following two hospital examinations, it was determined he needed about 2 weeks of rest due to a fibula fracture. It will take about 4 weeks until normal training, and the total rehabilitation period can only be understood after re-examination results are available in 2 weeks.

Shim Woo-jun has missed 7 games this year for reasons related to managing back pain and rest, but he has started as a shortstop on all Ryu Hyun-jin's pitching days. Hanwha's manager Kim Kyung-moon focused on defensive lineup deployment on days Ryu Hyun-jin pitched, where he excels at inducing ground balls. It remains to be seen if Ryu Hyun-jin, who has to pitch for the first time this season without Shim Woo-jun, can avoid passing the Hanwha's 13-game winning streak bomb back to Moon Dong-joo.

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