Miami: Veteran South Korean pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin hasn't pitched in the United States since he left the majors following the 2023 season, and now he will get to reacquaint himself with American surroundings this week, as the national team prepares for the knockout round of the World Baseball Classic (WBC).

According to Yonhap News Agency, the journey begins in the quarterfinals scheduled for Friday evening in Miami, and Ryu wants to make sure it lasts longer than just that one game. "We want to play a couple more games here," Ryu said after practice at Florida International University Baseball Stadium in Miami on Wednesday. "I am very grateful to be a part of this team. It's been so much fun being around this group of guys. I am so proud and happy to be wearing this uniform to represent the country."

South Korea is in the knockout stage for the first time since 2009, the year that the country went all the way to the final and lost to Japan. Ryu is the only member of this year's team to have played at the 2009 WBC.

Ryu recalled that South Korea had a little more time to prepare for the knockout round 17 years ago than now, with the national team having arrived in Miami in the wee hours of Wednesday after a long flight from Japan, the site of its first-round games.

"We have to get enough rest tonight and tomorrow," Ryu said. "We may not have enough time to get over our jetlag, and getting good rest is really important."

Ryu has the most major league experience among South Korean pitchers this year, with 186 games over 10 seasons. He was the National League's starting pitcher at the 2019 All-Star Game as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers and led the entire majors with a 2.32 ERA that same year while finishing second in the Cy Young Award voting. In the quarterfinals, South Korea will face the winner of the final Pool D game between the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. Both teams are full of big league mashers that Ryu faced over his career, but Ryu said he won't think about the past if he gets a chance to pitch against either team.

"Things are much different now. They are different players now than they were back then, and I am also a different pitcher," Ryu said. "No matter who we face in the quarterfinals, I have to pitch with confidence and just take it one inning at a time."