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Lone Monster's 7 Runs, No Way to Win...Another 100 Wins Missing
The Hanwha Eagles' defense collapsed collectively. And there was nothing the mighty Ryu Hyun-jin (37-Hanwha Eagles) could do about it.
Ryu started the game against the KT Wiz at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on April 24 and allowed seven runs (five earned) on seven hits, four walks, two wild pitches and four strikeouts in five innings.
Chasing 100 career wins. He earned his first win in the KBO after 12 years with a six-inning no-hitter against the Doosan Bears on Nov. 11. However, on the 17th, he pitched seven innings of three-run ball against the NC Dinos, but the offense didn't help him and he ended the game in a no-decision.
Another shot at 100 wins. The defense was just too good. Hanwha made only two errors on the day. Both were critical moments that led to runs. Even though they weren't recorded as errors, the sloppy defense led to extra bases.
With a 1-0 lead after Jonathan Peraza's solo home run in the top of the first, Ryu Hyun-jin took the mound in the bottom of the inning. He got the first three outs. It was clean.
The top of the second inning was more of the same. He got Moon Sang-chul and Jang Jang-woo to ground out to short and Hwang Jae-gyun to strike out looking.
The defense continued to play smoothly until the second inning, easing Ryu's shoulders.
It started to wobble in the third inning. The ABS didn't seem to be working. The leadoff batter, Choi Soo-ho, was hit by a straight ball. It was ruled a ball as it was slightly outside the strike zone. Ryu was embarrassed because he was recognized for his fastball in the major leagues. He also gave up a fastball to Ahn Chi-young. He induced a grounder to the second baseman for the first out.
A straight ball to Kim Sang-soo put runners on first and second, and Chun Sung-ho singled. As the ball kept leaving the strike zone, the throw to beat the count became a hit. Kang Baek-ho followed with an RBI single. Rojas got a grounder to the third baseman to cut Baek-ho off at second, but the runner from third was allowed to score as Rojas was saved on a video review at first base. Moon induced a wild swing with a changeup at 2S to get the out to end the inning.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Hanwha defense had a “collective meltdown. As the defense faltered, Ryu Hyun-jin also collapsed without a solution. A leadoff double by Jang Jang-woo, a sacrifice bunt by Hwang Jae-gyun, and an infield single by Choi Sung-ho put runners on first and third. Ahn Chi-young's grounder to shortstop was misplayed by the second baseman, allowing the runners to advance to third and home. Kim Sang-soo followed with a double to center field, but Chun Sung-ho's throw to shortstop was misplayed by the shortstop. Kim Sang-soo came home to score another run. Kang Baek-ho and Rojas were retired, but the deficit grew to seven runs.
Facing a single with one out in the bottom of the fifth, Ryu retired Hwang Jae-gyun and Cho Myung-ho on a fly ball to left field and a strikeout, respectively, to end the fifth. His total pitch count was 79. On the day, Ryu topped out at 145 mph, mixing his changeup (17), curveball (13), and cutter (8). Ryu was eventually replaced by Jang Min-jae in the bottom of the sixth inning, leaving his 100th career win on the back burner. Unable to overcome the shock of the defensive collapse, Hanwha fell to a 7-1 defeat.