Ryu Hyun-jin’s Winless Streak Reaches Three Months as Hanwha’s Bats Finally Heat Up

Ryu Hyun-jin has gone three months without a win, but Hanwha Eagles’ suddenly revitalized lineup could give him a better chance to break the streak.

Ryu will start against the Doosan Bears at Hanwha Life Ballpark in Daejeon on Aug. 8. It will be his 10th attempt to claim his ninth win of the season, and his first chance to record a victory in the second half.

He last won on June 11 against the KIA Tigers, pitching six innings and allowing one run. That victory briefly put him at the top of the league’s wins race. Since then, he has failed to add another win, sometimes pitching well without receiving enough offensive support and sometimes struggling badly himself.

In his final three starts of the first half, Ryu allowed no more than two runs over six innings each time, but the lack of run support kept him from becoming the winning pitcher. His form became more uneven after the break. Against the Kiwoom Heroes on July 19, he reached the major career milestone of 2,500 strikeouts across Korea and the United States, but still allowed four runs over 5 1/3 innings.