Professional baseball player Ryu Hyun-jin (38) of the Hanwha Eagles lost the game due to a critical error.
On the 5th, Ryu Hyun-jin started the game against the Kiwoom Heroes at the Seoul Gocheok Sky Dome, recording 5 innings with 5 hits, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts, and 3 runs (1 earned) in a loss.
Starting the game on a positive note with a clean first inning, Ryu Hyun-jin allowed a hit to Stone Garrett with one out in the second inning. He induced a ground ball from Park Soo-jong for an out at third base and retired Oh Jun-seo with a ground ball to third base, escaping the inning without a major crisis. He created another clean inning in the third.
However, in the fourth inning, with Hanwha leading 2-0, Ryu Hyun-jin allowed consecutive hits to the leadoff batters Lim Ji-yeol and Lee Joo-hyung. After Lee Joo-hyung stole second base, he faced a no-out situation with runners on second and third but struck out Choi Joo-hwan and got both Garrett and Park Soo-jong out, escaping the crisis without allowing a run.
However, in the fifth inning, a crisis returned. Ryu Hyun-jin allowed a double to Kim Geon-hee with one out. Although he struck out Jeon Tae-hyun, he allowed a hit to Song Seong-moon and gave a walk to Lim Ji-yeol, putting himself in a two-out, bases loaded situation. Ultimately, he issued a one-run, force-out walk to Lee Joo-hyung, allowing the pursuit.
In the ensuing two-out, bases-loaded crisis, Ryu Hyun-jin induced a slow ground ball to first base from Choi Joo-hwan, but he failed to handle the ball properly and rushed to toss it to first base, making an errant throw that went over the first baseman's head, allowing two runners to score. With both a fielding error and a throwing error recorded, Ryu Hyun-jin allowed the score to change to 2-3.
Following the two-out, runners on first and second bases situation, Ryu Hyun-jin struck out Garrett, struggling to finish the inning. In the sixth inning, with Hanwha trailing 2-3, he was replaced by Park Sang-won, concluding his appearance for the day.
Ryu Hyun-jin, who threw 105 pitches, used fastballs (53 pitches), changeups (23 pitches), curves (17 pitches), and cutters (12 pitches). His maximum fastball speed reached 147 km/h. The strike rate was 63.8%, lower than his usual.
Although Ryu Hyun-jin allowed a critical error that led to the score changing, the Hanwha batters did not allow him to become the losing pitcher. In the eighth, Chae Eun-seong hit a two-run homer to overcome the deficit, and in the ninth, Luis Liberato's game-winning one-run, double, along with Moon Hyun-bin's crucial one-run hit, led Hanwha to victory with a score of 6-4, marking their second consecutive win.
First baseman Chae Eun-seong reflected on the situation during a post-game interview, saying, "In the chaotic situation in the fifth inning, we gave up runs. I didn't specifically talk to (Ryu) Hyun-jin. I went for base coverage, and when the ball hit Hyun-jin's glove, he couldn't handle it smoothly. I asked if it would have been an out if he had made an accurate throw. I wasn't sure because it was a tense moment. We just exchanged those thoughts. Still, I'm glad we managed to not allow any additional runs."
Hanwha's Kim Kyung-moon noted, "Although it did not lead to a victory, Ryu Hyun-jin played his role as a starting pitcher well," emphasizing that Ryu Hyun-jin fulfilled his duties in that day's game.
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