LG Twins pitcher Eliezer Hernandez won against Hanwha Eagles' Ryu Hyun-jin.
Hernandez said, "I am so happy to win against such a great pitcher as Ryu Hyun-jin." Upon hearing that it was "Ryu Hyun-jin's birthday," he humbly expressed his apologies.
Hernandez pitched as the starting pitcher against Hanwha in the 2025 KBO League game held at Seoul's Jamsil Stadium on the 25th, achieving a victory with 1 hit, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts, and no runs allowed over 7 innings (88 pitches). LG won 5-0, marking their third consecutive victory.
Ryu Hyun-jin, who pitched on his birthday, threw 6 innings with 3 hits, 5 strikeouts, no walks, and no runs, but lost without a decision due to Hernandez's perfect game. Hernandez and Ryu both remained scoreless through the sixth inning. It was a brilliant pitching duel.
In the first inning, Hernandez recorded an out against Kim Tae-yeon with a fly ball to left field. It was a big hit that left fielder Song Chan-hee caught right in front of the left fence. He allowed a single to Moon Hyun-bin but struck out Florial with a 140 km/h cutter for the third strikeout and also struck out Noh Si-hwan with a 146 km/h fastball to end the inning.
In the second inning, he struck out Chae Eun-sung and Ahn Chi-hong consecutively with sliders as his finishing pitch. Four consecutive strikeouts. Lim Jong-chan's sharply hit ball was caught by first baseman Austin with a diving catch. The third inning also ended without allowing any runners. He easily finished off lead-off batter Choi Jae-hoon with a fly out to second base, struck out Sim Woo-jun with a foul fly out to third base, and wrapped things up with a fly out to shortstop by Kim Tae-yeon.
In the fourth inning, he issued a walk to lead-off hitter Moon Hyun-bin. Florial was disappointed with a foul ball that barely went out of the right field line. Later, he recorded a strikeout with a foul tip. During Noh Si-hwan's grounder to third base, the lead runner was tagged out at second base. Hanwha requested a video review, but first baseman Moon Hyun-bin's sliding call was overturned as his foot came up at the last moment. With two outs and a runner on first, he struck out Chae Eun-sung for the third strike.
In the fifth inning, he recorded two strikeouts and finished the inning without allowing any runs. He struck out Ahn Chi-hong and Lim Jong-chan consecutively, while Choi Jae-hoon grounded out to first base to end the inning. The sixth inning also ended without allowing any runs. Sim Woo-jun was caught with a fly out to left field, and Kim Tae-yeon's solid hit was caught by center fielder Park Hae-min, who made a diving catch as he raced into the left center. It was a super catch. After two outs, he got Moon Hyun-bin to ground out to the pitcher to wrap it up.
Hernandez, who had thrown 79 pitches by the sixth inning, took the mound again in the seventh. He recorded a ground ball out against Florial, and a well-hit ball by Noh Si-hwan was caught by third baseman Moon Bo-kyung with a jump catch. He finished the inning with a ground ball out against Chae Eun-sung.
After the game, Hernandez expressed his thoughts on his first victory, saying, "I am so happy to bring home my first win. I am thrilled to achieve a victory against such a great team as Hanwha and a pitcher like Ryu Hyun-jin, and I want to continue this momentum."
It was a magnificent pitcher duel between Hernandez and Ryu Hyun-jin through the sixth inning. It was as if in a showdown, whenever Hernandez pitched well, Ryu also pitched well, trading blows. Hernandez said, "Of course, I have a strong desire to win, so I felt the competitive spirit burning. Also, I am very satisfied to achieve a victory against a veteran pitcher who has had great success in the U.S. and in the KBO League like Ryu Hyun-jin."
However, when told that "today was Ryu Hyun-jin's birthday," Hernandez responded with a slightly flustered, "Ah, I’m sorry," as he didn't know how to react.
Hernandez started the season as the third starter. While he could have been the starting pitcher for the opening game, he is placed behind Chirinus and Son Joo-young as the third starter. He said, "It does not matter to me whether I am the first or third starter. I believe it's important to do my best in the position I am in."
He expressed gratitude to his teammates who helped with great defensive plays, stating, "I think both teams showed good defensive plays today. I want to compliment Hanwha's defense and thank our team's defensive efforts as well."
After Park Hae-min's excellent defensive play in the sixth, he waited in front of the dugout to express his gratitude. However, speaking in Spanish, Park Hae-min didn’t understand what he meant. Hernandez laughed, saying, "In an excited state, the language got mixed up."
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