200 Wins Achieved: Former MLB Star Ryu Hyun-jin Makes History

Daniel Kim 2026.05.25 Views

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Ryu Hyun-jin waving to fans / Photo = Paeng Hyun-joon

[Sports Today reporter Shin Seo-young] ‘Korean Monster’ Ryu Hyun-jin (Hanwha Eagles) finally reached the 200-win milestone across his careers in Korea and the U.S.

Ryu took the mound May 24 at Daejeon’s Hanwha Life Ballpark against the Doosan Bears in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League. He worked 6.2 innings, allowed six hits, issued no walks, struck out three and gave up two runs, earning his fifth victory of the season (5-2 overall).

The win pushed Ryu past the 200-win mark when combining his KBO and Major League Baseball records. He entered the game with 199 career wins across Korea and the U.S., and Saturday’s victory completed that milestone.

Ryu had previously chased his 200th win on May 17 at the KT Wiz. After five innings — five hits, one walk, three strikeouts and two runs allowed — he left positioned for the win, but a bullpen collapse erased the lead and postponed the milestone.

This time he was in control from the outset. Ryu stifled Doosan’s lineup and departed with Hanwha leading 5-2.

Hanwha’s bullpen, led by Kim Jong-su (1.1 scoreless innings) and Park Sang-won (one scoreless inning), preserved the lead and sealed Ryu’s historic achievement.

Ryu joined Hanwha as the No. 2 overall pick in the second phase of the 2006 rookie draft and compiled a 122-69 record in the KBO.

He earned his first professional victory on April 12, 2006, at Jamsil against the LG Twins and went on to win 18 games that season, setting the record for most wins by a high-school rookie. That year he also became the first player in KBO history to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season.

After collecting 98 wins over seven KBO seasons through 2012, Ryu signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2013 and moved to MLB. He later pitched for the Toronto Blue Jays and finished with a 78-48 record in the majors through the 2023 season.

Ryu returned to his original club, Hanwha, in 2024 and went 10-8 in his comeback season. He added nine more wins last season (9-7), bringing his combined KBO and MLB total to 199 before Saturday’s victory.

With this win, Ryu became the second pitcher in Korean professional baseball history to reach 200 wins, following former Hanwha coach Song Jin-woo. Song holds the all-time Korean pro wins record with 210 victories (153 losses).

After the game, Ryu told broadcaster MBC, \”I’m so happy to reach 200 wins here in Daejeon. I’m glad the team seems to be trending upward. The players worked hard, and that made this record possible.\”

He had been scheduled to start a day earlier on the 23rd, but rain forced a postponement and gave him an extra day of rest. \”Having that extra day helped me throw a bit more comfortably,\” he said.

Asked which win among the 200 stands out most, he replied, \”Probably today. I also remember my first win as a rookie at Jamsil against LG.\”

On future goals, he was succinct: \”I don’t have personal goals. The club has one left — I really want to win a championship.\”

He closed with a message to fans: \”Fans come out to support us at every game, home and away. I won’t let them down — we’ll work hard to get to the postseason.\”