It is dramatic. Ryu Hyun-jin (38, Hanwha Eagles) and Yasiel Puig (35, Kiwoom Heroes) are expected to have showdowns between pitching and hitting in Daejeon on Wednesday for the first time in six years.

Ryu started the game against the Samsung Lions on Saturday and allowed eight hits (two homers), two strikeouts, one walk and four runs in five innings. Naturally, his next appearance will be against the Kiwoom Heroes in Daejeon on Sunday. He will return to the KBO League for the first time in three years this season and face off against Puig, who plays as a leadoff for Kiwoom.토토사이트

Ryu and Puig were loved by Korean fans as "best friends" when they were with the Los Angeles Dodgers. They played together for six years from 2013 to 2018. They were particularly playful and got along well. Since then, Puig moved to the Cincinnati Reds in the 2019 season and parted ways. Ryu Hyun-jin has also been wearing the Toronto Blue Jays starting in the 2020 season.

Ryu and Puig faced off as pitcher and batter only once. It was May 20, 2019. The game took place at the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, Ohio. Puig started as Cincinnati's fourth right fielder, and had no hits in three times at bat. Ryu took the mound as starter and secured six wins (one loss) for this season by allowing five hits, five strikeouts, and one walk.

Their first showdown at the bottom of the first inning was with one out and runners on the first and second bases. Ryu threw a 90.1 mile four-seam, two pitches with a ball count of 1S. It was a fumble that drove him to the center. However, Puig pushed him to the second base and was out after a double play. The second showdown was held at the bottom of the fourth inning. Puig appeared as a leadoff hitter, pulling the four-seam that also came into the middle of 92.7 miles at 2B2S, but he grounded out to shortstop.

The last showdown was in the bottom of the sixth inning with one out and no runners. Ryu put his four-seam, six pitches from the full count, into the body's borderline. Puig gave up the bat, but it turned out to be a weak ground ball. Ryu caught it and threw it to the first base to increase the out count.

Since then, the two have not met again. Puig has not returned to the Major League since the 2019 season due to various incidents. He signed with Kiwoom to enter the KBO League in 2022, but Ryu Hyun-jin was still in Toronto. However, it was a COVID-19 situation. Ryu Hyun-jin trained together at Hanwha Spring Camp for quite a long time. Just in time, Hanwha and Kiwoom played two practice games in Daejeon in early March. At this time, Ryu Hyun-jin and Puig were relieved after a long time.

Ryu Hyun-jin returned after signing an eight-year, 17 billion won contract with his mother Hanwha ahead of the 2024 season. And Kiwoom has reunited with Puig for the first time in three years ahead of this season. As such, they have a chance to have a dramatic face-off. If Ryu takes the mound against Kiwoom in Daejeon on Sunday, he will face off in six years, and will meet again in three years.

Puig also confessed in February that he often makes DM or video calls with Ryu Hyun-jin and Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco Giants) at Kaohsiung Spring Camp in Taiwan. Even so, Ryu Hyun-jin and Puig's first face-off in the KBO League is expected to attract great attention in many ways.

If Ryu had started as the first starter, he would not have been able to play in the first three consecutive games against Kiwoom on Nov. 11-13. However, manager Kim Kyung-moon will use Ryu as the third starter instead of the first one, which will lead to a dramatic showdown between the two teams.

Hanwha will play a match against Samsung in Daegu on the 6th and hold a three-game series against the Doosan Bears in Jamsil on the 7th and 9th. There is a rain forecast in Jamsil on the morning of the 9th, but the rain is expected to stop in the evening when the game begins. Kiwoom will hold a three-game series against the LG Twins in Gocheok on the 8th and 10th, followed by the match against the NC Dinos on the 6th, and the match on the 11th is clear.

In other words, as long as manager Kim Kyung-moon does not change his mind or Ryu Hyun-jin does not feel particularly bad, he will likely have a showdown with Puig as his starting pitcher on Wednesday. Ryu has a 3.18 ERA in three games this season without losing or losing, and Puig has a batting average of 0.292, three homers, 10 RBIs, 12 runs and an OPS of 0.914. Both of them are in good condition. They have a chance to play well.