Tigers manager welcomes early test vs. ex-MLB pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin

The return of former major league All-Star Ryu Hyun-jin has dominated preseason chatter in South Korean baseball this spring, and even his preseason pitching schedule for the Hanwha Eagles has been closely monitored.

The exhibition portion of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season begins Saturday, and Ryu is expected to start twice to ramp up for his Opening Day assignment on March 23. The first of those outings will come next Tuesday against the Kia Tigers.

To which Tigers manager Lee Bum-ho said: bring it on.

“I think it’s great that we’ll get to see him in the preseason,” Lee told reporters Wednesday at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, after returning from spring training in Japan. “I think it will be a good experience for our team to face him.”

Ryu first pitched for the Eagles from 2006 to 2012, and was teammates with Lee from 2006 to 2009. Few active players in the KBO today have gone up against the left-hander. Lee said he will try to give as many batters as possible a chance to hit against Ryu next week.

“We expect him to throw 60 to 70 pitches,” Lee said. “I want to put together our best lineup possible. It will allow our top guys to get at least one at-bat against him.”

Since Ryu left for Major League Baseball after the 2012 season, the Eagles have made the postseason only once and finished in last place five times. Lee said Ryu will instantly make the Eagles good enough to fight for one of five postseason berths.

“I am sure many other teams will be extra prepared against that team,” Lee said. “But at the same time, we’re not just playing the Hanwha Eagles this year. We have eight other teams to worry about. And we don’t even know how many times we’ll take on Hyun-jin this year. So we shouldn’t just focus on that one team.”