Ryu Hyun-jin and Kim Kwang-hyun were role models at one time, Forced retirement crisis? Should I have left when I clapped
Ryu Hyun-jin (36 Toronto) and Kim Kwang-hyun (35SSG) are selected as the most successful Major League starting players among Korean pitchers. They are also precious players who continue the reputation of Korean starting pitchers in Major League Baseball, which has not been continuing well.
Not to mention Ryu Hyun-jin, who entered the Major League in 2013 and is still active, ranked second in Cy Young voting in 2019, first in ERA, and third in Cy Young voting in 2020, and even hit a four-year $80 million contract. Along with Park Chan-ho, he is certain to go down in history as the best pitcher Korea has ever produced. Kim Kwang-hyun, who advanced to the major league stage of his dream in 2020 and recorded 10 wins and a 2.97 ERA over the past two years, also had a light success.
Their good performance in the Major League was due to their excellent basic skills, but playing among good teammates is also cited as one of the driving forces. Ryu Hyun-jin's first major league team, the LA Dodgers, and Kim Kwang-hyun's former team, St. Louis, are all prestigious representatives of the Major League. It is considered one of the clubs with a well-established team clubhouse culture.
In addition, Ryu Hyun-jin had pitchers who could see and learn from Clayton Kershaw and Jack Greinke. Kershaw was the best starting pitcher of his time, although he was a year younger than Ryu. Greinke, who also won the Cy Young Award, is also a pitcher who may have inspired Ryu Hyun-jin's pitching. Greinke was not a typical clubhouse leader, but after his speed gradually dropped, he became a brainy pitcher representing the Major League. He was a veteran who could have a good influence on Ryu Hyun-jin, who was not a fastball pitcher.
Kim Kwang-hyun also had a good pitcher named Adam Wainwright and benefited from an outstanding catcher named Yardier Molina. At the time of entry, Wainwright was the leader of the pitching staff and Molina was the leader of the fielders. The two players themselves were so close that St. Louis's team atmosphere was always refined. Wainwright gave a lot of advice by using a side locker during spring training in 2020, shortly after Kim Kwang-hyun entered the Major League, and helped him a lot by training with Kim Kwang-hyun, who was in trouble due to COVID-19.
Both players are veteran pitchers respected in the Major League. Greinke, 40, is an outstanding pitcher with 224 wins in 20 Major League Baseball seasons, including winning the 2009 American League Cy Young Award. He is said to have built a career that allows him to enter the Hall of Fame in the future. He is the second-highest active pitcher in his career after Justin Verlander (252 wins in Houston).
Wainwright, who is 42 years old this year, has also recorded four times in the top three Cy Young votes and has 198 career wins. It is also a great achievement to dedicate 198 wins to St. Louis. He also won the 2006 World Series with two gold gloves. There is no doubt that he will be remembered as a player who will also remain in the St. Louis franchise.
However, it is also in common that the two players are struggling especially this year. The two players performed relatively well last year, showing off their old age, even though they were not as good as their heyday. Back in Kansas City, Greinke had a 3.68 ERA in 26 games. Wainwright also pitched 191⅔ innings in 32 games, recording 11 wins.
For this reason, the two players, who were considering retiring after the 2022 season, decided to play with their teams for another year. Even if it is not ace level, the issuance of the 4th to 5th line was sufficient and the price was not burdensome. It was natural that the club wanted two players. Greinke signed for $8.5 million a year and Wainwright for $17.5 million a year. However, this year's performance is unfortunately falling.
Greinke pitched 110⅔ innings in 22 games this season, but soared to 5.53 ERA. His 5.53 ERA is his worst performance since 2005 when he debuted. He still shows stable control, but his ball power tends to not overcome his opponents. His team is 1-12 in line with the weak power of Kansas City. There are 45 left until 3,000 strikeouts, but this record, which seemed easy to achieve, has also become unclear.
Wainwright's steps were twisted due to an injury early in the season, and he is sluggish even after his return. He is recording his worst performance since his debut with 3 wins, 8 losses, and an 8.42 ERA in 16 games. The number of on-base hits (WHIP) per inning is as high as much as 2.01. It became a neighborhood book, with 14.5 hits per nine innings. Some say that it is only necessary to add two more wins to 200 individual wins. If St. Louis did not give up the season early, it was actually unclear whether he would stay in the rotation. 스포츠토토
The situation is expected to be quite different between last winter and this winter. Last year, his team was courting him. The two players were able to decide on the "time of retirement." However, with this score, things could change this winter. It is unclear whether his team may feel burdened by the two players, and whether there will be other teams that want them. This means that even if you want to play more, you may be pushed back and retire. It became interesting to see what kind of end awaits the future of these legends.