Korean professional baseball player Ryu Hyun-jin (38) of Hanwha Eagles achieved his 5th victory of the season on the 24th, after 4 games. He signaled a rebound with his characteristic sharp control and pacing. After overcoming a brief slump in the last 2 games, he showed a unique sense of responsibility.

On the 30th, Ryu Hyun-jin started in the away game against the NC Dinos at Changwon NC Park in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League, pitching 6 innings with 3 hits allowed, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts, and 1 earned run, achieving a quality start. Leading Hanwha to a 7-1 victory, Ryu Hyun-jin secured his 5th win of the season (2 losses) and lowered his earned run average from 3.28 to 3.12. This victory came 4 games after his last win on the 6th against the Samsung Lions in Daejeon.

In the previous 2 games, his performance was not good. On the 18th against the SSG in Daejeon, he allowed 6 hits and 3 walks in 3 innings, with 4 runs conceded, resulting in his first loss of the season with less than 5 innings pitched leading to an early substitute. On the 24th against Lotte in Daejeon, he qualified for the win with 5 innings pitched, allowing 7 hits, 1 walk, and 3 runs, but his pitching was somewhat shaky, giving up 3 runs after consecutive hits in the 2nd and 3rd innings.

The first inning did not start well either. After getting two strikes against the leadoff batter Kwon Hee-dong, he gave up a double that fell to the right of the right fielder on a high fastball on his third pitch. Next, he threw a low changeup to Kim Joo-won on the sixth pitch, but allowed a timely hit, giving up the first run.

After a groundball from Park Min-woo resulted in one out with a runner on second, Ryu Hyun-jin escaped the threat with his staple changeup. With a 1-1 count against Matt Davidson, he threw several low outside pitches, inducing a swinging strikeout. The next batter, Park Gun-woo, also faced a 2-2 count and struck out swinging on a low outside changeup, completing the first inning without further runs.

In the second inning, he started by issuing a straight walk to leadoff batter Kim Hwi-jip. However, Estevan Florial, the center fielder, made a great catch on a line drive heading towards the left-center fence, helping Ryu Hyun-jin. Energized by this fine defense, Ryu Hyun-jin induced a popout to right field from Ahn Jung-yeol and a groundout from Choi Jung-won, finishing the inning with just 10 pitches.

In the third inning, he had a long battle with Kwon Hee-dong that went 11 pitches. He started strong with consecutive strikes from the first two fastballs, but after 5 foul balls and 3 balls, he finally induced a groundball to the shortstop. Ryu Hyun-jin also went 8 pitches against Kim Joo-won, striking him out swinging on a high fastball and then getting Park Min-woo to look at strike three. The 5th pitch, a low fastball on the outside corner, barely caught the border.

In the fourth inning, he maintained stability. After allowing a hit to leadoff batter Davidson, he got Park Gun-woo out with a popout to right field and induced a groundball from Kim Hwi-jip to the shortstop. The inning ended with a 6-4-3 double play, and he threw just 9 pitches.

With the lineup supporting with 3 runs in the 4th and 5th innings, Ryu Hyun-jin took the mound in the 5th with a 4-1 lead. He struck out Kim Sung-wook looking with a fastball close to the inside corner, then induced a groundout from Ahn Jung-yeol and a popout from Song Seung-hwan, breezing through the inning. His pitch count reached 76 by the end of the 5th inning.

In the sixth inning, he allowed a walk to leadoff Kwon Hee-dong but induced a groundball to third base with a cutter on the 5th pitch. After quickly recording 2 outs with a 5-4-3 double play, Ryu Hyun-jin also retired Park Min-woo with a popout to shortstop. Although it was a mis-hit, Ha Ju-suk made a jump catch, bringing a smile to Ryu Hyun-jin once again.

Ryu Hyun-jin finished his outing after the seventh inning with a total of 91 pitches. He threw fastballs averaging 144 km/h, peaking at 147 km/h, and mixed in 41 fastballs, 19 changeups, 18 curves, and 13 cutters. He registered 3 strikeouts, 2 of which were looking strikeouts. Although he issued 2 walks, he regained stability with his signature control that brushes the corners.

It was a game where the lineup actively supported the pitching staff. Before this start, Ryu Hyun-jin's run support this season across 11 games was low at 4.03 runs per 9 innings. However, in this game, he received his season-high of 7 run support and benefited from solid defensive plays.

After the game, Ryu Hyun-jin said, "It feels great to do an interview as a winning pitcher," smiling. He noted, "The previous 2 games were not good. I allowed many runs and couldn't pitch more than 5 innings. My control and velocity weren't what they were today."

Ryu Hyun-jin added, "I thought I would start with the mindset I had when I was 20 years old from the very beginning today. Back then, I only threw according to the sign from my senior, Shin Kyung-hyeon. Today, I told catcher Choi Jae-hun, 'I won't shake my head at your signs.' I didn't shake my head once today," mentioning he totally followed catcher Choi Jae-hun's lead, and added, "Although I had 2 walks, Jae-hun showed great leadership. I plan to continue doing that going forward."

Regarding Florial's great defensive play in the second inning, he said, "When you see such super catches, it naturally boosts the pitcher's energy and focus. It was the same on the mound, and I expressed my gratitude."

Hanwha's ‘one-two punch’ of Cody Ponce and Ryan Weiss has been consistently performing well throughout the season, while domestic pitchers in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th spots have been sluggish. Ryu Hyun-jin struggled in his previous 2 games, and free-agent acquisition Eom Sang-baek has been sent down for adjustment after underperforming. Moon Dong-ju also fell apart on the 25th against Lotte in Daejeon, allowing 6 runs in a single inning, and has since been removed from the roster for rest, indicating a decline in the form of domestic starters.

Ryu Hyun-jin remarked, "The two foreign pitchers are performing so well that our domestic starters need to catch up. Compared to them, the 3rd, 4th, and 5th starters need to step up a bit more. As long as the foreign pitchers keep doing this, we will have a formidable starting lineup if the 3rd, 4th, and 5th starters support us." He expressed a sense of responsibility.

Ryu Hyun-jin's recent victory has changed the atmosphere for Hanwha's domestic starting lineup. Eom Sang-baek is also returning to the first team as a starter against the NC Dinos on the 31st after completing his adjustments in the second team. Attention is on whether Eom Sang-baek, after struggling in his first year as a free-agent acquisition, can show a revitalized performance as Ryu Hyun-jin suggested.

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