I was so nervous that I even put on my earphones… The results don't matter, romantic baseball of our time

Jul 27, 2025

I was so nervous that I even put on my earphones… The results don't matter, romantic baseball of our time
Kim Kwang-hyun. Photo=SSG Landers



Daejeon Hanwha Life Ball Park on the 26th, when Ryu Hyun-jin and Kim Kwang-hyun faced off for the first time in their history. Despite the weekend, as many reporters flocked to Daejeon as it was in the ranking match or the postseason.

It's a combination of how they haven't been able to face off for such a long time. Ryu Hyun-jin made his KBO League debut in 2006, and Kim Kwang-hyun made his debut in 2007. Until Ryu Hyun-jin went to the Major League by a year, the two were the team's representative 'Ace' and the league's representative face. However, only now that Ryu Hyun-jin is 38 years old and Kim Kwang-hyun is 37 years old, the confrontation finally took place.

Before Ryu Hyun-jin went to the U.S., he had a chance. In addition to the failure of the 2010 showdown, when a lot of rain was predicted early, there were several stories about the lack of a starting showdown. There were also doubts that the pitchers were too heavy for both teams to face off because of the prediction that the burden of the confrontation was too high, and that they might not intentionally make it due to various factors such as the team's situation and the player's condition at the time. Of course, it was because it was a 'big match' that drew the attention of fans.




Ryu Hyun-jin and Kim Kwang-hyun met in one game only in their mid-to-late 30s. Hanwha catcher Lee Jae-won, who was the same age as Ryu Hyun-jin in 1987, and has been in the same team for a long time since Kim Kwang-hyun and SK Wyverns (current SSG), said "It's a pity that we're finally facing off." Lee Jae-won said, `I wonder what it would have been like for both of them to face off when they were in their prime. I think it was done too late,' he said, expressing regret. It is regrettable that if they had competed in their 20s at their peak, they would have been able to see the best match as Sun Dong-yeol and Choi Dong-won.

I was so nervous that I even put on my earphones… The results don't matter, romantic baseball of our time
Pro Baseball 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League SSG Landers and Hanwha Eagles at Hanwha Life Ballpark in Daejeon on the 26th. In the bottom of the sixth inning, SSG starter Kim Kwang-hyun roars after escaping from the crisis with a ground ball. Yonhap News
However, the fans' interest was still hot. Hanwha Life Ballpark sold out all 17,000 seats on the day, and the line to get tickets for on-site sales was much longer than usual. Many fans lined up from early morning and expressed their willingness to see the legendary pitchers face off in person. Now, even pitchers who have passed their prime are respect and respect from fans for the symbolism they have.

Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-yeon also visited the baseball stadium on the same day. He has a special affection for the baseball team and visited the ballpark several times this season, but the chairman's visit also made the special matchup of 'Ryu Kim Dae-jeon' shine even more.




Immediately after the start of the second half, the rotation was adjusted as the rain cancellation game came out, and right after the two faced off, SSG coach Lee Sung-yong said, `There is no reason to change the rotation. "If nothing special happens, I will go as it is" but inwardly "Maybe he (Kim Kwang-hyun) will be a little concerned." But I hope both of you show great performances" cheered. From the manager's point of view, he may not want a situation where the player feels burdened by a lot of attention being paid to the starting matchup, but it is an encouragement as a senior baseball player for players with great symbolism.

I was so nervous that I even put on my earphones… The results don't matter, romantic baseball of our time
SSG players who won the professional baseball 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League SSG Landers and Hanwha Eagles at Hanwha Life Ballpark in Daejeon on the 26th are delighted. July 26, 2025 Yonhap News
The same goes for Hanwha manager Kim Kyung-moon. Ahead of the game on the 26th, coach Kim said, "(A special showdown) will not be considered. You can't think of it as too much of a rival, you have to think of it as the same game```.

Coach Kim Kyung-moon, who was the head coach of the national team during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. And at that time, the national team's 'special one-two punch' were Ryu Hyun-jin and Kim Kwang-hyun. Thanks to Kim Kwang-hyun's performance as a 'Japanese killer' and Ryu Hyun-jin, who performed well in the finals, he was able to achieve his achievement of winning the gold medal. The moment that gave the best honor to director Kim Kyung-moon. Director Kim said, `I think I've been managing because of the performances of these two guys in 2008," he said, sneaking out his affection.




I was so nervous that I even put on my earphones… The results don't matter, romantic baseball of our time
사진=SSG 랜더스
The two players' pitching performances ended with Kim Kwang-hyun's victory. Ryu Hyun-jin was replaced in the first inning with four hits, two walks and five runs in one inning as he showed an unexpected difficulty, and Kim Kwang-hyun succeeded in a quality start and a start with two hits, three strikeouts, and one walk in six innings. The game ended with a 9-2 victory for SSG.

But the result is second. It is the romance given by the existence of two people who are still alive enough to promise the next.

Kim Kwang-hyun, who prepared for the mound while being uncharacteristically nervous. After the game, Kim Kwang-hyun said, `Hyun-jin is a really big pitcher for me, I always have to follow him and I look up. I'm not in a good condition today, so this is the result, but if we have a chance next time, I hope we can do the best pitching in a good condition"The message was delivered.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.