Hanwha’s Cold Defense that Made Ryu Hyun-jin Cry… When I Came Back After 12 Years, It was Completely Different
Quickly handling batted balls during training… Ground ball-guided pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin "I will throw with confidence in the infielder"
Third baseman Noh Si-hwan "I have more confidence than MLB Chapman... I will become a defensive fairy."
In the past, Ryu Hyun-jin (37, Hanwha Eagles) was an ‘icon of bad luck.’
Ryu Hyun-jin had a difficult time from 2006 to 2012 before advancing to the United States due to Hanwha's poor defense. 온라인카지노
Hanwha's defenders often missed ordinary batted balls, and made mistakes in every game, putting a burden on Ryu Hyun-jin's shoulders.
This environment is reflected in Ryu Hyun-jin’s personal performance.
Ryu Hyun-jin recorded 22 quality starts (less than 3 earned runs in 6 innings) in 2012, but only added 9 wins.
Ryu Hyun-jin, a ground ball-inducing pitcher, was unable to induce batters to his heart's content due to the team's defensive ability.
On a TV program at the time, Ryu Hyun-jin advised young players, “You should not throw with confidence in your defense,” and “You should throw with the mindset that you will strike out the batter.”
The bad luck ended after entering the United States.
Ryu Hyun-jin, who joined the Los Angeles Dodgers of the Major League Baseball (MLB) in 2013, received support from top defenders.
Hyun-Jin Ryu took second place in the 2019 National League Cy Young Award voting based on the support of Dodgers defenders.
At that time, the Dodgers ranked second among the 30 MLB teams in defensive efficiency (DER), which is the ratio of balls batted in play that are treated as outs, at 0.714.
The Toronto Blue Jays, who played from 2020 to 20203, did not bother Ryu Hyun-jin with their defense.
In the 2022 season, when Ryu Hyun-jin returned from injury, third baseman Matt Chapman (currently of the San Francisco Giants), who is considered the best defender in MLB, joined to help.
Ryu Hyun-jin earned the support of his team's defenders and made a name for himself as the best groundball-inducing pitcher in the league.
The team's infield defense is very important to Ryu Hyun-jin, who induces hits with precise ball control.
This is why fans were worried about Hanwha's infield defense problems when Ryu Hyun-jin returned to the KBO League this winter.
Fortunately, it seems that Ryu Hyun-jin will not have to sigh due to infield defense problems like he did 12 years ago.
Ryu Hyun-jin experienced Hanwha's changed infield defense in a home game against the KIA Tigers in the 2024 professional baseball exhibition game held at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon on the 12th.
Ryu Hyun-jin induced a total of eight infield ground balls in four innings, and Hanwha's infielders helped him with stable play.
Lee Do-yoon, who started as a shortstop, received applause for reliably handling Park Chan-ho's ground balls in the top of the first and third innings.
Second baseman Hyunbin Moon also did well to catch Socrates Brito's hard hit from second base in the first inning.
Third baseman Noh Si-hwan, who was usually evaluated as weak in defense, steadily caught Kim Sun-bin's infield ground ball in the second inning and threw it with his strong shoulder, resulting in an out.
It was a mistake when first baseman Chae Eun-seong caught Na Seong-beom's first base strike ball in the top of the fourth inning.
However, it was not enough to cause much disruption to the game.
Ryu Hyun-jin seemed satisfied with Hanwha’s changed defense.
He said after the game, “The team’s defense was stable,” and “I will trust my infielders and throw from now on.”
The fielders are also full of confidence.
Starting third baseman Noh Si-hwan raised his voice, saying, "I don't know his skills, but his confidence is higher than Chapman, who played with senior Ryu Hyun-jin."
He added, "I will become a reliable third baseman.
I will become a defense fairy."
