Professional baseball player Hanwha Eagles pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin (38) smoothly matched the scheduled pitch count of 65 with 4 innings in his first appearance in the exhibition game.

Ryu Hyun-jin started in the exhibition game against the Lotte Giants on Mar. 13 at the Busan Sajik Stadium, where he pitched 4 innings, allowing 4 hits (1 home run), 1 walk, 3 strikeouts, and giving up 2 earned runs. He allowed 2 runs in the 4th inning with a two-run home run from Jeon Jun-woo, but successfully completed his first appearance in the exhibition game while throwing at a top speed of 147 km/h.

On Mar. 2, Ryu Hyun-jin took the mound in a real game for the first time in 11 days after the last practice game against the SSG Landers at the spring camp in Okinawa, Japan. He planned to throw 65 to 70 pitches.

Ryu Hyun-jin started by striking out the Lotte's leadoff hitter Hwang Seong-bin with a high fastball for a swing-and-miss. He then got Yoon Dong-hee to pop out to the left fielder and Son Ho-young to pop out to the right fielder, retiring the side in order. Ryu Hyun-jin, who generated weak hits with high fastballs, easily finished the first inning with just 13 pitches. In the second inning, he allowed a single to Victor Reyes but forced Na Seung-yeob into a ground ball to second base before inducing a 5-4-3 double play against Jeon Jun-woo, finishing the inning with 10 pitches.

In the 3rd inning, he showed his crisis management skills. After allowing a single to lead-off hitter Yoo Gang-nam, Ryu Hyun-jin's throw to first base on Park Seung-wook's ground ball slipped behind, causing a no-out 2nd and 3rd base crisis. However, he managed to overcome it.

Ryu Hyun-jin got Jeon Min-jae to hit into a ground ball with a changeup, holding the runners at 2nd and 3rd base. He then struck out Hwang Seong-bin with an outside high fastball. Following that, he induced Yoon Dong-hee to hit into a ground ball, escaping the no-out 2nd and 3rd base crisis without allowing a run.

The first earned run came in the 4th inning. After getting Son Ho-young to pop out to left field and handling Reyes with a ground ball to shortstop, Ryu Hyun-jin allowed a hit to Na Seung-yeob in the right center. He then gave up a two-run home run to Jeon Jun-woo, marking his first earned run. The 5th pitch, a fastball at 145 km/h, was well-placed inside, but Jeon Jun-woo seemed to have anticipated it, hitting it at just the right time for a two-run homer traveling 120 meters.

After taking a sudden hit, Ryu Hyun-jin walked the next batter Yoo Gang-nam after a 7-pitch full-count battle. However, he struck out Park Seung-wook with 3 pitches, ending the 4th inning without allowing further runs. He recorded strikes on the first two pitches with curves before surprising the batter with a high fastball, inducing a swing-and-miss.

In the 5th inning, Ryu Hyun-jin handed the mound over to Kwon Min-kyu, having exactly completed the scheduled pitch count of 65. He threw 43 strikes and 22 balls, with a top speed of 147 km/h, averaging 143 km/h, primarily throwing fastballs (37), changeups (19), and curves (9) as his three pitches.

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