Ryu Hyun-jin, Would Wear the Taegeuk Symbol Once More

Ryu Hyun-jin, Who said he would Wear the Taegeuk Symbol once more, Will he Participate in the Premier 12 this Year?

Cho Gye-hyun, Chairman of the Power Strengthening Committee, "Selecting the national team based on objective and fair standards"

Ryu Hyun-jin will not be able to pitch in next month's MLB Seoul Series practice game.

Ryu Hyun-jin (36, Hanwha Eagles) played an outstanding role not only in the past KBO League Hanwha but also in the national baseball team.

He played a key role as the national team's ace in the 2008 Beijing Olympics (winner) and the 2009 World Baseball Classic (WBC, runner-up), creating a golden age for Korean baseball.

Even after receiving military service benefits for his Olympic gold medal, he did not hesitate to be selected for the national team. E스포츠

Ryu Hyun-jin participated in the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games and won a gold medal for Korea.

Ryu Hyun-jin, who seemed to be the ace of the baseball team forever, has not been able to wear the Taegeuk symbol since the Guangzhou Asian Games.

In 2013, he entered the Major League Baseball (MLB), but was unable to participate in the Olympics, Asian Games, and World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier 12 due to the MLB secretariat's refusal to select a big leaguer.

He also failed to participate in the 2017 WBC and 2023 WBC hosted by the MLB Secretariat.

A shoulder injury in 2017 and an elbow injury last year hindered him.

Was it because of his sense of debt that he could not play as a member of the baseball team during his prime?

In an interview with a media outlet last year, Ryu Hyun-jin said, “I want to wear the Taegeuk symbol again at least once.”

Ryu Hyun-jin expressed his desire to appear on the international stage one more time by persuading players of his age, including Kim Gwang-hyun (SSG Landers), Kim Hyun-soo (LG Twins), and Yang Eui-ji (Doosan Bears), who announced their retirement from the national team after the 2023 WBC.

Ryu Hyun-jin's dream became more likely to come true when he signed a contract with Hanwha on the 22nd.

Ryu Hyun-jin, who became a KBO leaguer, can immediately participate in the Premier 12 held in November this year without restrictions.

Of course, in order to see Ryu Hyun-jin wearing the Taegeuk symbol, several conditions are necessary.

Ryu Hyun-jin must be in good physical condition and be ahead of the competition with other domestic players.

Cho Gye-hyun, chairman of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) Power Strengthening Committee, said in a phone call with Yonhap News on the 22nd, "It is a little early to talk about Ryu Hyun-jin's selection for the national team."

He added, "The national team selection will largely depend on the intentions of the soon-to-be appointed former national team coach. “He said.

He also said, "Once the new coach takes office, we plan to select the national team based on objective and fair criteria to play in the Premier 12."

Recently, the background of the baseball team being in the process of rebuilding and the national team being selected mainly from promising players is also of concern.

However, considering that a player who can provide a clear center of gravity is needed, it is not impossible for Ryu Hyun-jin to participate in the Premier 12.

However, Ryu Hyun-jin will not participate in MLB practice games with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres next month.

A KBO official explained, "The baseball team that will participate in the MLB Seoul opening series practice game will be selected from the preliminary list announced earlier this month," adding, "It is not completely impossible for Ryu Hyun-jin to join, but it seems realistically difficult."

The Dodgers and San Diego will play a two-game series to officially open the 2024 season at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on March 20th and 21st, and prior to this, they will hold practice games against the Korean national team, LG Twins, and Kiwoom Heroes.

The Korean national team will face San Diego on the 17th and the Dodgers on the 18th.