Ryu Hyun-jin, 39, returning to Korea's national baseball team after 16 years, demonstrated his veteran game management skills in the 2026 World Baseball Classic official practice game.
The veteran pitcher took the mound in the bottom of the sixth inning with the score tied 3-3 against Nippon Professional Baseball's Hanshin Tigers at Kyocera Dome Osaka on Sunday. He pitched two innings, allowing just one hit and no runs.
Earlier in the game, Korean national team pitchers Kwak Bin of Doosan Bears and Son Ju-young of LG Twins struggled with control while relying on fastballs. After watching his younger teammates falter, Ryu took a different approach. He relaxed his shoulder and completely disrupted Hanshin batters' timing with fastballs in the low 140 km/h range and slow breaking balls.
Ryu retired leadoff batter Ukyo Maekawa on a groundout to shortstop, then induced a groundout to first from Hayato Nakagawa. With a 2-2 count, he threw a changeup that barely caught the outside corner, drawing a weak grounder.
Ryu continued to dominate opposing batters with breaking balls. Against Nozomu Takaterra, he disrupted timing with a slow curveball. When Ryu threw a slow inside pitch as his first offering, Takaterra couldn't hold his swing and made weak contact. Ryu then induced a foul with a slow curve before throwing another slow breaking ball for a groundout to the pitcher.
After retiring the side in order in the sixth, Ryu continued his strong performance in the seventh. He fell behind 3-1 against leadoff batter Dan Onodera but persistently worked the corners to induce a groundout to the pitcher. He then needed just one pitch to get Torai Fushimi to ground out to first.
Ryu allowed a bloop single to center by Shogo Tanabata but remained unfazed. Against Ryuhei Obata, with a 0-1 count, he threw a 109 km/h slow curveball down the middle for a called strike. Obata, completely fooled on timing, stood frozen. Ryu then retired the stunned Obata on a liner to shortstop to complete his outing.
After the game, Hanshin Tigers manager Kyuji Fujikawa said Ryu's relief appearance left the strongest impression. When Korean reporters asked which Korean player impressed him most at the official press conference, Fujikawa answered, "Ryu Hyun-jin."
"I've known Ryu Hyun-jin well since my playing days," he said. "He's now become a veteran pitcher, and his pitching repertoire seems even more impressive than before." He added, "He's the leader of Korean pitchers, both psychologically and in terms of pitching ability."
Fujikawa retired in 2020 after recording 243 saves in NPB and 2 saves in MLB for a career total of 245 saves. He frequently faced Ryu in international competitions.
"My control was good, and my velocity reached 145 km/h on the scoreboard, which is better than in Okinawa," Ryu said. "Since I'm not a strikeout pitcher, getting a lot of groundouts like today is also a good result." He added, "I'll continue building my body to improve my condition before the WBC starts. My velocity and control are both progressing well from where I am now."
Fujikawa also praised Kim Do-young of KIA Tigers, who had two hits including a game-tying solo home run. "What impressed me was how he concentrates his power with minimal movement at the plate," he said. "His ability to drive the ball in an instant is remarkable."