Ryu Hyun-jin was also an innocent senior in high school. Hanwha's sweep of Doosan's three consecutive games in 19 years is enough to be recorded in the history book.

Aug 26, 2024

Dongsan High School ace Ryu Hyun-jin, who played as a pitcher in the Blue Dragon National High School Championship match against Busan High School held at Dongdaemun Stadium on June 4, 2005. Reporter Jeon Jun-yeop

Hanwha Kim Tae-kyun is welcomed by his teammates after hitting a left-handed full base with two outs in the bottom of the third inning against Doosan at Cheongju Stadium on June 6, 2005. Reporter Song Jeong-heon

The expressions of Doosan players at the time of the three consecutive sweep losses. Reporter Song Jeong-heon

When Ryu Hyun-jin, a senior in high school, led Dongsan High School to victory at the 60th Blue Dragon High School Baseball Championship in 2005, the Hanwha Eagles swept three consecutive games against the Doosan Bears at Cheongju Stadium, bringing joy to fans. But since then, Hanwha has never again achieved a three-game sweep against Doosan.

Ryu Hyun-jin played as Hanwha's ace for seven years after joining Hanwha in 2006, and then returned to Hanwha in 2024 after 11 years in the U.S. Major League. However, in 19 years, I have never seen Hanwha achieve a three-game sweep against Doosan. On August 25, 2024, Hanwha beat Doosan 3-1 at Jamsil Stadium, finally resetting its long record. Starting pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin ended his sweep with one run in seven innings.

The Hanwha-Doosan match held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 25th. Hanwha won 3-1 and swept three consecutive games against Doosan for the first time in 19 years. The players are sharing the joy of victory. Jamsil = Reporter Jung Jae-geun

With this sweep, Hanwha secured its season advantage by leading Doosan with 9 wins and 6 losses this season. This is the first time in 13 years that Hanwha has had a season advantage against Doosan since 2011. It is both emotional and unfamiliar to Hanwha fans.

Moon Dong-hwan, Jung Min-cheol, and Kim Hae-nim all started in the three consecutive games held from June 4-6, 2005. On the first day, Moon Dong-hwan's three runs in seven ⅓ innings and Lee Bum-ho's home run won 6-3, and on the second day, Jung Min-chul's six scoreless innings won 5-on-1 and Kim Hae-nim allowed four runs in five ⅓, but Kim Tae-kyun's grand slam, Lee Do-hyung's multi-homer, and Lee Bum-ho's solo shot won 8-4.

Moon Dong-hwan, who started Game 1, pitched 7.1 innings of 3 runs. Reporter Song Jeong-heon

Second Game starter Jung Min-chul led the victory with six scoreless innings.

Starting Game 3 Kim Hae-nim

Kim Tae-kyun's sleek appearance in shooting a grand slam to the left with two outs in the bottom of the third inning

Ryu Hyun-jin, then a third-year ace at Dongsan High School, pitched three scoreless games from qualifying to the semifinals in Cheongryonggi, and Dongsan High School won the Blue Dragon with a come-from-behind victory in the final against Daegu High School on June 9.

Dongsan High School, who won the Blue Dragon Flag on June 9, 2005. Ryu Hyun-jin's emotional appearance

And 19 years later, Hanwha, led by head coach Kim Kyung-moon, is running toward the semifinals with a fierce momentum in the second half. Hanwha is showing a crazy momentum with 13 wins in 17 games played in blue summer uniforms. The gap with sixth-ranked SSG has narrowed to 0 games and 1 game with fifth-ranked KT, while the gap with fourth-ranked Doosan, which won a sweep, has also decreased to three games.

Ryu Hyun-jin started the game on the day and pitched five hits and one run in seven innings to win his eighth game of the season. Ryu Hyun-jin overwhelmed Doosan with two wins and a 0.47 ERA in three games this season. In the lineup, Jang Jin-hyuk contributed to the team's victory by hitting a winning double in the top of the sixth inning with a 1-1 tie, and Lee Do-yoon, who made a timely hit in the second inning, helped Ryu Hyun-jin on both sides of the offense and defense with good defense several times.

The Hanwha-Doosan match held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 25th. Hanwha won 3-1 and swept three consecutive games against Doosan for the first time in 19 years. Winning pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin is making a high five with manager Kim Kyung-moon.

Since manager Kim Kyung-moon's appointment, Hanwha has been rapidly reorganizing its team system and transforming into a strong team. Before Kim's appointment, Hanwha remained in eighth place with 24 wins, 1 draw and 32 losses in 57 games, but after taking office, it recorded 32 wins, 1 draw and 28 losses and a winning rate of 0.533 in 61 games, ranking third in the league during that period.

The game between Hanwha and Doosan held at Jamsil Baseball Stadium on the 24th, Hanwha won 7-6 after extra time, winning two consecutive games. Lee Sang-kyu and Choi Jae-hoon, who finished the game, are hugging each other. Jamsil = Reporter Heo Sang-wook

In particular, in July, after recruiting head coach Yang Seung-kwan and pitching coach Yang Sang-moon, a must-win group was established that led to Kim Seo-hyun, Park Sang-won, Han Seung-hyuk, and Joo Hyun-sang, and it was believed that if you were leading, you would win. In the game on the 24th, Lee Sang-kyu became the hero of the walk-off victory by perfectly blocking the ninth and 10th innings. Before this match, Lee Sang-kyu was a player who had thrown only 10 games without a winning or losing record in the first team, and won an emotional victory in 1,553 days.

Park Sang-won is cheering after striking out Jared in the bottom of the eighth inning with two outs.

In the game on the 25th, Park Sang-won, who took the mound in the eighth inning after Ryu Hyun-jin, struck out all six batters and made a save in five months.

Hanwha, which ignited the fight for fifth place, has 26 remaining games. The Hanwha Eagles in blue uniforms, which have become a symbol of victory, are making professional baseball fluctuate in the second half of the year.

The Hanwha-Doosan match held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 25th. Hanwha won 3-1 and swept three consecutive games against Doosan for the first time in 19 years. Director Kim Kyung-moon is greeting his fans.

cjg@sportschosun.com

Ryu Hyun-jin was also an innocent senior in high school. Hanwha's sweep of Doosan's three consecutive games in 19 years is enough to be recorded in the history book.

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