Even after KIA Tigers manager Lee Bum-ho took over as the head coach, he was scolded by Ryu Hyun-jin (37, Hanwha).

KIA, led by head coach Lee, lost 1-9 against Hanwha at Hanwha Eagles Park in Daejeon on the 12th, tied to Ryu Hyun-jin, who started the 2024 KBO League exhibition game.

After the game, Lee said over the phone with Sports Seoul, "It's a type of player that Korea doesn't have. I love my ball control. I like the tip of the ball, and because the change of the breaking ball itself is formed quite late, batters who stood at the batter's box find it tricky."

Ryu Hyun-jin faced 16 batters in four innings, giving up only three hits and allowing one run. He freely used change-ups, cutters, and curves, showing keen control over the border line. In particular, the average fastball was 144 kilometers per hour, and he played with KIA's batters by using curves in the 110 kilometers per hour. Of the 62 pitches, more than half, 33 were breaking balls, and there were no sand dunes.

Coincidentally, Lee had a batting average of 0.147 (one hit in seven times at bat) against Ryu while playing for KIA. He struck out four times. Lee, a slugger who dominated the league with a batting average of 0.271 and 329 home runs in the KBO League, also failed to find a way to target Ryu at the time.

However, after becoming a manager, he vowed that he would be different. "I watched the game thinking about how our hitters should deal with Ryu Hyun-jin," Lee said, adding that he is considering finding a way to attack a pitcher with good control. Lee tried to deal with left-handed pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin by putting right-handed batter Lee Woo-sung as the second batter, but even that was in vain.

Lee and Ryu have a deep relationship. They played together in the Hanwha Eagles for four consecutive seasons (2006-2009). In 2009, the World Baseball Classic also played together and achieved the feat of being the runner-up. The two men, who led the heyday of Korean baseball, reunited as enemies.

Lee's appointment as head coach of Kia Tigers and Ryu Hyun-jin's return to the Hanwha Eagles were a hot topic of conversation during the 2024 season. Lee became the first professional baseball coach born in the 1980s, and a few days later, Ryu's return to the Major League filled with expectations for a new season.

Their first showdown ended with Ryu's victory. However, no one knows what will happen again in the regular season. Attention is focusing on what kind of strategy Lee, known as a smart leader, will use to deal with Ryu.

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