By Yoon Chul
Staff Reporter
South Korean aces Ryu Hyun-jin of the Hanwha Eagles and Kim Kwang-hyun of the SK Wyverns appear to be headed in opposite directions in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).
While Ryu still leads the league in strikeouts with 59 and is tied for most wins with six, the 22-year-old lefty has not pitched well of late.
Ryu was spectacular through in his first four starts, picking up three wins to go along with an ERA of 2.45, but in his last five starts he's seen his ERA rise to 4.06 and his strikeout totals decline, with 9, 6, 6, 5 and 4 strikeouts in those five starts, respectively.
Ryu is also throwing more pitches and lasting fewer innings as a result. Ryu recorded his first loss of the season against the Doosan Bears on May 9, allowing three earned runs. The fourth-year pro lasted only five innings, and threw 101 pitches. The ace beat the Lotte Giants on May 17, but threw 124 pitches over 7 1/3 innings.
The Eagles coaching staff as well as Ryu say he's in better shape and pitching better than last year. While he has had a problem with weakness in his shoulder, it doesn't appear to be causing him any problems. His velocity is still good enough to overwhelm batters.
``Ryu's has been throwing outside too much against right-handed batters. His fastball and change-up are still the same. When he throws low and inside, there are very few hitters who can make contact,'' said Eagles manager Kim In-sik.
While Ryu has been troubled by a high pitch counts, Kim has become one of the league's best inning eaters. The third-year Wyverns ace has won six times, and is currently second in the KBO in innings pitched. The 20-year-old has thrown 64 innings ― four fewer than league leader Bong Jung-keun of the LG Twins ― but Kim has averaged a league-best 7.11 innings per start, while Bong is averaging 6.8.
Kim had a brilliant season in 2008, compiling the most wins and strikeouts and the league's second best ERA, 2.39. He was also named the KBO's Most Valuable Player (MVP) and won a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics.
Kim's only flaw last season was that he didn't pitch as deep into games as some expected he would, averaging just 6 innings per start, however, he seems to have rectified that problem.
But his increase in innings pitched comes more out of necessity for Wyverns manager Kim Sung-keun, who has seen his bullpen struggle this year.
With a depleted, under-performing bullpen, the 66-year-old manager has opted to allow his starters to pitch deeper into games.
If the defending champions' bullpen comes around, the young hurler may again see earlier exits.
The KBO hopes the star power of the two young lefties will help the league achieve its goal of surpassing 5.5 million in attendance, as well as raise the profile of the KBO around the world.