Daejeon: It has been 18 years since Ryu Hyun-jin last pitched in a postseason game in South Korea. Back in 2007, Ryu was still pitching for the Hanwha Eagles. He left the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club after the 2012 season to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers and after spending the next 11 years in the majors, Ryu rejoined the Eagles ahead of the 2024 season. Now that the Eagles are back in the postseason for the first time since 2018, Ryu said he couldn't wait to get going.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Ryu expressed his excitement to reporters before Game 1 of the second-round series against the Samsung Lions was rained out Friday evening at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark in Daejeon. He mentioned that he was looking forward to the experience, recalling his performance in 2007 when he was the winning pitcher in Game 1 of the first round against the Lions and recorded a hold in relief in Game 3, aiding the Eagles in their series victory.

The Eagles have not won a postseason series since 2007, and Ryu is cautious about overextending himself. He expressed confidence in his teammates' abilities to handle the initial games in the series. With Cody Ponce and Ryan Weiss expected to start the first two games, Ryu is set to pitch Game 3 in Daegu.

Ryu is preparing for his opportunity to contribute, acknowledging the strength of the Samsung lineup but also highlighting the Eagles' robust pitching staff. He has shared postseason insights with less experienced teammates, though he chose not to disclose details of those discussions.

In the regular season, Ryu recorded a 9-7 win-loss with a 3.23 ERA over 26 starts. Against the Lions, he maintained a 1-0 record and a 4.50 ERA in two starts, notably preventing any home runs from the team that led the KBO with 161 homers.