In KBO return, Eagles ace Ryu Hyun-jin tosses 3 solid innings in scrimmage

Former major league All-Star Ryu Hyun-jin marked his return to the South Korean league with a strong outing in an intrasquad game Thursday.

Back with the Hanwha Eagles in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) after 11 years in the big leagues, Ryu threw three innings of one-run ball in the scrimmage at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, some 160 kilometers south of Seoul.

Sporting his familiar No. 99 on the back, Ryu made 47 pitches and struck out three, while allowing a run on a hit and a walk.

Though this was an unofficial game, it was Ryu’s first outing in a KBO stadium since Oct. 4, 2012.

The left-hander first pitched for the Eagles from 2006 to 2012 and then signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers via posting. Ryu, the National League starter at the 2019 All-Star Game, later joined the Toronto Blue Jays as a free agent and came home last month after his four-year deal with the Blue Jays expired following the 2023 season.

Ryu’s homecoming on an eight-year, 17 billion-won (US$12.8 million) contract has dominated the preseason narrative. The unofficial game on Thursday drew so much attention that the Eagles, absence of any cable coverage, livestreamed it on their official YouTube channel, complete with a play-by-play caster and a club official serving as a color commentator.

During spring training in Japan, Ryu tossed two bullpen sessions and one live practice session. In Thursday’s game, Ryu touched 144 kilometers per hour (kph) with his fastball, up 5 kph from his live batting practice from five days ago.

Ryu struck out two batters in the first inning, needing 15 pitches to retire the side in order.

In the second inning, slugger Chae Eun-seong sent an inside pitch down the left field line for a double.

Ryu got a groundout, but then with Ha Ju-suk at the plate, Ryu threw a wild pitch that allowed Chae to take third base.

Ryu walked Ha and then gave up a sacrifice fly to Lee Jae-won. Ryu limited further damage by retiring Lee Myung-ki on a groundball.

Ryu got three quick outs with an infield pop out, strikeout and an outfield flyout in the third inning.

The official preseason begins across the KBO on Saturday, and Ryu is scheduled to make two appearances — next Tuesday and then March 17 — to prepare for his Opening Day assignment on March 23 against the defending Korean Series champions, LG Twins.