The 3rd game of the 2025 professional baseball KBO League post-season playoffs between the Hanwha Eagles and the Samsung Lions held at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on the 21st. Hanwha starting pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin is struggling. Yonhap News
It was not the ‘monster’ that dominated Korean baseball 18 years ago. Hanwha veteran left-hander Ryu Hyun-jin (38) left a mark in his first fall baseball game in Korea in 18 years.
Ryu Hyun-jin started the 3rd game of the playoffs (PO) against Samsung in the ‘2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League’ held at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on the 21st and hung his head after hitting two home runs in the bottom of the 4th inning. The team was unable to maintain the 2-0 lead in the top of the 4th inning.
Before the game on this day, the head coaches of both teams expressed their secret expectations for Ryu Hyun-jin. Hanwha coach Kim Gyeong-moon said, “Even if you don’t say anything, he is a player with a lot of experience,” and added, “It was nice to see his face while greeting him, and I think he will do his job well.”
On the other hand, Samsung coach Park Jin-man recalled Ryu Hyun-jin, whom he faced in the 2006 Korean Series (KS) and 2007 PO during his active career, saying, “He was a rookie in 2006, but he played the role of starting pitcher in the fall like the regular season, and he was amazing.” At the same time, he said, “I am thinking to myself that my pitching status may have declined because I am older than before,” and expected the Samsung batting lineup to work hard.
As soon as Ryu Hyun-jin joined the team in 2006, he won three awards with multiple wins (18 wins, 6 losses, 1 save), 204 strikeouts, and an earned run average (ERA) of 2.23, and became the first player in history to win Rookie of the Year and regular league MVP awards at the same time. Ryu Hyun-jin pitched 3 times for KS that year and struggled with an earned run average (ERA) of 2.25, but suffered no wins and 1 loss, and in the 2007 semi-PO, he played well with 2 games, 1 win, and 1 hold, with an ERA of 0.90.
After 12 years in the Major League (MLB), Ryu Hyun-jin played fall baseball in the KBO League for the first time in 18 years. Ryu Hyun-jin seemed to live up to Coach Kim’s expectations by allowing no runs until the third inning. He made good use of fastballs that reached up to 149km, changeups, curves, and cut fastballs. Koo Ja-wook hit a double in the top of the first inning, but finished the third inning without any major problems. The batting line also scored 2 runs in the top of the 4th inning.
Game 3 of the 2025 KBO post-season playoffs Hanwha Eagles vs. Samsung Lions held at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on the 21st. Hanwha starting pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin, who gave up 4 runs in the bottom of the 4th inning, looks disappointed. Yonhap News
However, the batting order did not go beyond the fourth inning. Ryu Hyun-jin guided Koo Ja-wook to a ground ball to first base with one out, but the base cover was delayed, so it ended up being a hit. Afterwards, he walked Llewin Diaz after a full count, putting him on first and second base.
Ryu Hyun-jin hit a superior three-run home run when the first pitch he threw to Kim Young-woong, a 134 km/h changeup, rushed into the middle of the pitch. With 2 outs, Kim Tae-hoon’s 118 km/h curve on the 5th pitch was also driven into the middle, leading to a 1-run home run.
Samsung quickly turned the score around 4 to 2 with two home runs. This time, Samsung’s batting lineup seemed to live up to Coach Park’s expectations.
Noh Si-hwan is happy after hitting a two-run home run in the top of the 5th inning with 2 outs and runners on third base. Yonhap News ” class=”fr-fic fr-dib”/>Game 3 of the 2025 KBO post-season playoffs Hanwha Eagles vs. Samsung Lions held at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on the 21st. Hanwha Noh Si-hwan is happy after hitting a two-run home run in the top of the 5th inning with 2 outs and runners on third base. Yonhap News
Fortunately for Hanwha, Ryu Hyun-jin avoided defeat by successfully coming back in the top of the 5th inning. In the top of the 5th inning, Son Ah-seop and Luis Liberatoi made up 1 point with consecutive doubles against Samsung starting pitcher Ariel Jurado. Next, with 2 outs and runners on third base, number 4 Noh Si-hwan hit a 136 km/h curve on Jhurado’s first pitch, creating a 2-run comeback to left.
Ryu Hyun-jin breathed a sigh of relief and handed the mound over to Kim Beom-soo in the bottom of the fifth inning. On this day, Ryu Hyun-jin pitched 4 innings, striking out 3, allowing 6 hits, 1 walk, and 4 runs. The number of pitches was 74.
