"I want to say thank you."
Ryu Ji-hyun, manager of the World Baseball Classic (WBC) national team, made the remark to the 'Korean Monster' Ryu Hyun-jin (Hanwha Eagles) after his farewell game for the national team.
Ryu Hyun-jin started for the quarterfinal against the Dominican Republic on the 14th (Korea time) at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, and recorded 1 2/3 innings, three hits, two walks, one strikeout and three runs allowed.
The start was good. Ryu Hyun-jin retired Fernando Tatis Jr., Ketel Marte and Juan Soto in order in the first inning, finishing the inning with a three-up, three-down.
But he faltered in the second inning. After issuing a walk to leadoff hitter Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Ryu Hyun-jin got Manny Machado to fly out to left field but gave up a double to Junior Caminero. At that time, first-base runner Guerrero Jr. dashed home, giving up the first run. In the process, shortstop Kim Joo-won's throw left something to be desired.
Caminero advanced to third, and Ryu Hyun-jin induced Julio Rodríguez into an infield grounder but could not prevent Caminero, the runner on third, from scoring.
After walking Agustín Ramírez and giving up a hit to Geraldo Perdomo, the crisis continued. Eventually, he gave up an opposite-field hit to Tatis Jr., recording the third run allowed.
Ryu Hyun-jin handed the mound over to Noh Kyung-eun, and Noh Kyung-eun retired the first batter, Marte, on a catcher strike not-out to end the inning.
But Korea suffered a 0-10, seven-inning cold-game loss to the Dominican Republic and failed to advance to the semifinals. Ryu Hyun-jin's final appearance for the national team also ended in disappointment.
Ryu Hyun-jin was a leading figure in Korea's golden age in international baseball, including the 2008 Beijing Olympic gold medal and the 2009 WBC runner-up finish.
After returning to the KBO League in 2024, he consistently expressed his willingness to join the national team, and through this WBC he wore the taeguk mark again for the first time in 16 years since the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games.
Manager Ryu Ji-hyun also knew Ryu Hyun-jin's sincerity better than anyone.
After the quarterfinal, at the official press conference he said, "(To Ryu Hyun-jin) I want to say thank you," and added, "Since I took over as manager of the national team in February last year, he has consistently expressed his desire to participate in the national team."
He added, "His performance, behavior and attitude were all exemplary. Even at that age, he showed competitiveness as a starting pitcher for the Korea national team."
Manager Ryu Ji-hyun also expressed regret.
He said, "If he had finished the second inning well, it would have been a situation where he did his job and came off the mound, and that part is regrettable," and added, "I want to praise him for doing his best until the end as the most senior player on the national team."
Meanwhile, meeting with reporters at the scene, including Yonhap News, Ryu Hyun-jin said, "I think this is the last. The ending is disappointing, but it was an honor to return to the national team and be with the younger players."
Looking back on the game with deep regret, he said, "I couldn't give the position players time to adjust. Because we lost, there is a lot of regret."
Ryu Hyun-jin said, "For the young players, playing on such a big stage will be a great experience. I think that through today's game, our players will do well in many tournaments to come," looking ahead optimistically.
[OSEN]