Hanwha, which returned to Korea on Thursday after finishing its first spring camp in Australia and the second spring camp in Okinawa, Japan, resumed training on Tuesday after a day off. Starting with the exhibition game against Samsung in Daejeon on Thursday, Hanwha will check its physical condition through its own match against Blue and White on Wednesday. The match against Blue and White will be held in seven innings. The starting pitchers are Ryu Hyun-jin and Moon Dong-joo, Hanwha's left and right ace. 스포츠토토
The last time Ryu took the mound in Daejeon was against the Nexen Heroes on October 4, 2012, just before he entered the Major League. Ryu, who challenged for 99 wins in his career on the day, pitched 10 innings alone, allowing 12 strikeouts and one run with four hits (one homer) and no walks, but failed to secure victory as the game ended in a 1-1 draw. If Ryu starts in the Blue and White match on the 7th, he will return to the mound in Daejeon in 4,172 days.
After signing a contract with Hanwha on April 22, Ryu joined Hanwha's team in training in Okinawa on April 23, and immediately started bullpen pitching as soon as he arrived at the baseball stadium on March 23. After that, he conducted bullpen pitching once more on the 26th and raised his physical condition to 65 pitches in live pitching on March 2. The next stage was a matchup between Ryu Hyun-jin and Moon Dong-ju, which was held depending on the pitching schedule.
Moon Dong-ju also took the mound in the practice game against Lotte at the Kushiga Baseball Stadium on the 2nd, when Ryu Hyun-jin's live pitching was held, and he recorded two perfect innings. Moon Dong-ju, who took the mound as a relief against Lotte, struck out Han Dong-hee, then hit Noh Jin-hyuk, Son Sung-bin, Na Seung-yeop, Ko Seung-min and Yoon Dong-hee, and finished the inning neatly.
Choi does not put much importance on the upcoming showdown between the starting players against Blue and White House. Choi said, "I don't have much intention. As I was working on my schedule, I had to work on a combination of moving days and rest days. Moon Dong-ju also had to play the game, and Ryu Hyun-jin was scheduled to take the mound. Kim Min-woo also had to throw, so Moon and Ryu played against Blue and White on the same day."
Prior to the arrival of Ryu Hyun-jin, Moon Dong-ju was the team's native ace in the Korean pro baseball league. Moon Dong-ju showed great performance at various stages last year, but this could be a bit burdensome for a pitcher who has just played full time. To Moon, the emergence of Ryu Hyun-jin as a senior player was good news in many ways.
Moon Dong-ju, who we met at Gochinda Stadium in Okinawa, Japan, where Hanwha's second spring camp is underway, said, "I love it. I had a lot of pressure, but I think I got less pressure because a good senior came to my team. I'm thinking of doing well as I originally planned."
"You're not one of them, you're all different. I still can't believe that I'm just training with you at the training site," he said. "If the season starts and we go around the starting rotation together, I might be able to enter the three consecutive games with my name, and I think that would be a lot more realistic." Through the Blue and White match, he will be able to match Ryu Hyun-jin's name right away.
Of course, it doesn't mean much about the outcome of the game because the process is more important than the outcome, but the fact that two pitchers representing Hanwha, Ryu Hyun-jin and Moon Dong-ju, will take the same mound is a hot topic. Hanwha decided to broadcast the Cheongbaek match live on its official YouTube channel as attention was suddenly drawn to this game, which is not an official game but also Ryu Hyun-jin's return to Daejeon.
When asked about the starting showdown with Ryu Hyun-jin after returning home, Moon Dong-ju said, "I didn't want to pay much attention because it was a practice, but there were a lot of articles. I think the fans are looking forward to it, but I expect Hyun-jin to pitch well anyway, so I think I'm the only one who can do well."
Attention is also focusing on how Hanwha batters react to Ryu's ball. "I want to see Hyun-jin's ball as I play against him in a different team (against Cheongbaek match). When I was with LG, I hit Dongju's ball once," Chae said. "Since we are on the same team, we don't have to face each other anyways, so I will be able to watch the ball comfortably. I want to experience it because I have longed for him."
In the live pitching on the 2nd, young batters Kim Tae-yeon, Park Sang-eon, Jang Kyu-hyun, and Lee Sang-hyuk came to bat and saw Ryu Hyun-jin's ball. Ryu Hyun-jin's maximum fastball speed was 139km/h. Even if the speed was not fast, the bat broke twice, making him realize its power. There were about three or four hits, but he generally seemed to have difficulty in attacking.
Lee Sang-hyuk said, "It was an honor to hit the ball because you are a legendary senior. I've seen many pitchers' balls so far, and I felt that they were very different from other pitchers at the plate." He laughed, saying, "My senior said he would buy me a meal in Daejeon after hitting the dead ball. I'll ask him to buy me meat."
Kim Tae-yeon said, "I had good breaking balls and ball control movements, so it was difficult to hit the ball. It was hard to hit as I was moving around at the end. The more I went in, the more I felt like I gained strength in the ball." Park Sang-eon also said, "It seemed like you were throwing lightly. I feel good at the end."
Jang said, "It was 'another level'. I saw a ball that I had never experienced before. It is difficult for batters to hit the ball because they can control their ball control." "It is different when a ball hits the ball." I heard that his speed was around 136 to 7 km/h, but it felt like 145 km/h. It could be because I've never seen it before, but I felt that way," he said.
Meanwhile, after completing the Blue and White matches on Thursday, Ryu will take the mound twice at exhibition games before starting the regular season opener. Choi Won-ho predicted that Ryu will take the mound in the match against KIA in Daejeon on Wednesday and Sajik Lotte on Sunday. The regular season opener will be against LG Twins, the defending champion, at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on Tuesday, and Ryu will also be the starting pitcher in the match against KT Wiz in his rotation on Tuesday.