The Hanwha Eagles ace starter passed the milestone completing a 2-1 win over the Doosan Bears which included eight strikeouts in Daejeon.
 Hanwha Eagles starter Ryu Hyun-jin reacts after throwing the 1,000th strikeout in a game against the Doosan Bears in Daejeon, Sunday. / Yonhap |
By Yoon ChulKorean lefty ace Ryu Hyun-jin became the youngest pitcher in Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) history to throw 1,000 strikeouts Sunday, completing the feat in the fewest games.
The Hanwha Eagles ace starter passed the milestone completing a 2-1 win over the Doosan Bears which included eight strikeouts in Daejeon.
The KBO starter, now in his sixth year, broke the existing records in his 153rd appearance at the age of 24 years, 2 months and 25 days, beating the previous ones by 27 games and 19 days respectively.
When Ryu struck out his 1,000th batter in Bears slugger Choi Joon-suk in the sixth inning, he asked the umpire to switch balls in order to keep the record-breaking one in his pocket.
“I am very happy to make it. My next goal is 100 wins,” Ryu said.
The pitcher has a 7-6 record with 3.83 ERA this season with 1,003 career strikeouts.
Ryu, the 22nd starter to pass 1,000 strikeouts, also had his 100th strikeout for six consecutive years, the seventh time it has happened in the KBO.
“As I had innate flexibility from my parents I can reach this goal. I really appreciate my parents,” Ryu said.
From his debut, Ryu was different.
In 2006, the then 19-year-old fireballer had a triple-crown with a 17-6 record, 2.23 ERA and 204 strikeouts.
Last season, Ryu made a quality-start for 23 straight games. In addition on May 11, 2010 against the LG Twins Ryu recorded 17 strikeouts, the highest number in nine innings in KBO history.
He has recorded the most strikeouts in the domestic league for the last five seasons.
Ryu, who pitched the most innings in his second year with 211 innings for a 17-7 record, has been on the mound for at least 150 innings each year.
“He is very clever. Based on his shape Ryu changes his style. Sometimes he overwhelms the batters with his fastball. sometimes he induces grounders or pop-up by throwing breaking balls,” Eagles pitching coach Cho Dae-hyun said.
The dominant pitcher has shone, not only in the domestic league, but also on the world stage.
He proved his prowess during the Beijing 2008 Olympics and second World Baseball Classic (WBC) in 2009.
In the final against Cuba in Beijing, Ryu allowed only two runs in 8 1/3 innings for a 3-2 win.
The world is watching his performances and Major League Baseball (MLB) and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) teams are interested in Ryu.
Scott Boras, the best-known baseball agent, has already shown an interest in the Eagles star saying he could succeed in the MLB right now.
Ryu will be a free agent 2014, after finishing his ninth year in the league. But the KBO allows player to head abroad after their seventh year in the KBO if the team permits the move.
If the Eagles agree to a trade, Ryu could leave for foreign shores in 2012.
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