"A junior I never knew suddenly came..."I was surprised." It's the first time for Ryu Hyun-jin to do something like this, 15 years old Lotte Young-gun's courage

"A junior I never knew suddenly came..."I was surprised." It's the first time for Ryu Hyun-jin to do something like this, 15 years old Lotte Young-gun's courage

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Ryu Hyun-jin (38) of the Hanwha Eagles, who is rarely surprised even during games, was also surprised to learn from the inside. It was the first time for Ryu that a junior pitcher from another team, whom he had never seen before, to come and seek advice on changeup.스포츠토토

Kim Jin-wook (23), a left-hander of the Lotte Giants in the Korean pro baseball league, visited Ryu in the last away game in Daejeon in September last year. He had no personal relationship, but he made up his mind and courage. Kim Jin-wook, who needed weapons against right-handed hitters, said, "I wanted to throw changeups so badly. I asked to get a hint, but Ryu Hyun-jin answered so well. I was surprised that he told me theories and senses that were different from what I thought."

He doesn't throw the same way as Ryu Hyun-jin taught him, but based on the advice he got at that time, he has learned the changeup that suits his hands and is using it in practice. Kim Jin-wook said, "I received advice from many players, but I got a hint to practice (with this way) because of Ryu Hyun-jin. I've never met my senior before, but I visited him to ask him in earnest to live."

Hanwha had Ahn Chi-hong, a senior player with whom it played at the Lotte Giants, but Kim Jin-wook went to Ryu recklessly without going through the middle leg. It was a surprise request from a 15-year-old junior, but Ryu generously delivered his know-how.

When he was a rookie in 2006, Ryu followed Koo Dae-sung, a senior player in the same team, to learn change-ups. At the time, Ryu was 19 years old and Koo was 37 years old, 18 years older than him, but he showed tremendous improvement. With the change-ups he learned then, he instantly dominated the KBO League and ranked No. 1 in ERA in the U.S. Major League, becoming a world-class pitcher.

Kim Jin-wook must have seemed proud of him even though he is a player from a different team because he has such experience. "I was surprised when you suddenly came and asked me last year. It would not have been easy to ask like that," said Ryu, who recalled, "It's the same to my team's players, but they tell me what they know when they visit me. I can't tell them everything, but I think I liked his attitude (by asking). Even the familiar players just greet each other, and when a player I didn't know came and asked me, it was good for me, too."

"Ryu Hyun-jin told me casually and not surprised, maybe because so many players have asked me so far," Kim Jin-wook said. "I was surprised, but I didn't express it like, 'Oh?'" smiling, Ryu said, "There are not many junior players who ask me like this. I don't think there are as many as five players. It's almost the first time (Kim Jin-wook) in other teams."

Meanwhile, Ryu pitched well in the exhibition game against the Sajik Lotte Giants on Tuesday, allowing four hits (one homer) with one walk, three strikeouts, and two runs during four innings. He had a two-run homer off Jeon in the fourth inning, but his pitches were not actual. Jeon hit a fastball that was well into his body. "I don't care because the homer was well hit by a batter," Hanwha manager Kim Kyung-moon said. "I have good arm swing. You look very good. Other players are exerting their best efforts, but Hyunjin has not used it all yet. He will use more strength when the season starts."

Throwing fastballs at the maximum speed of 147 kilometers per hour and average speed of 143 kilometers per hour on the day, Ryu said, "Both speed and ball control were good overall. Compared to this time last year, it was much better. I had a hard time when I was pitching at exhibition games last year because I couldn't physically move up, but now I feel better." On whether he will be participating at another exhibition game, he asked the team manager to keep an eye on starting the game as a veteran.