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MLB veteran Ryu Hyun-jin hopes for deep run in WBC knockout stage

Published: 12 Mar. 2026, 13:59

Ryu Hyun-jin warms up before practice at the Florida International University Baseball Stadium in Miami on March 11, in preparation for the World Baseball Classic. [YONHAP]

Veteran pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin hasn't pitched in the United States since he left the majors following the 2023 season, and now he will get to reacquaint himself with American surroundings this week, as the national team prepares for the knockout round of the World Baseball Classic (WBC).

The journey begins with the quarterfinals on Friday evening in Miami, and Ryu wants to make sure it lasts longer than just that one game.

"We want to play a couple more games here," Ryu said after practice at the Florida International University Baseball Stadium in Miami on Wednesday. "I am very grateful to be a part of this team. It's been so much fun being around this group of guys. I am so proud and happy to be wearing this uniform to represent the country."

Korea is in the knockout stage for the first time since 2009, the year that the country went all the way to the final only to lose to Japan. Ryu is the only member of this year's team to have played at the 2009 WBC.

Ryu recalled that Korea had a little more time to prepare for the knockout round 17 years ago, with the national team arriving in Miami in the wee hours of Wednesday after a long flight from Japan, the site of its first round games.

"We have to get enough rest tonight and tomorrow," Ryu said. "We may not have enough time to get over our jet lag, and getting good rest is really important."

Ryu Hyun-jin speaks with reporters after practice at the Florida International University Baseball Stadium in Miami on March 11, in preparation for the World Baseball Classic. [YONHAP]

Ryu has the most major league experience among Korean pitchers this year, with 186 games over 10 seasons. He was the National League's starting pitcher at the 2019 All-Star Game as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers and led the entire majors with a 2.32 ERA that same year while finishing second in the Cy Young Award voting.

In the quarterfinals, Korea will face the Dominican Republic, full of big league mashers that Ryu faced over his career, but he said he won't think about the past if he gets a chance to pitch against them.

"Things are much different now. They are different players now than they were back then, and I am also a different pitcher," Ryu said. "I have to pitch with confidence and just take it one inning at a time."

Yonhap