A day after Ryu Hyun-jin (Hanwha Eagles) and Yasiel Puig (Kium Heroes) faced each other for the first time in six years, they returned to their best friends mode after escaping from the world of games on the ground.

Ryu finished his team training at Hanwha Life Insurance Ballpark in Daejeon on Wednesday and visited the Puig first as soon as Kiwoom arrived at the stadium. Puig also found Ryu and moved to the Hanwha home team dugout near the first base.메이저사이트

Starting with the usual question, "Is your house close to here at the ballpark?" Puig provoked Ryu Hyun-jin, saying, "Your ball didn't hit the bat well the day before. If you just did a surprise bunt, I think I would have lived at first base because your feet are slow (it takes a long time to catch and throw the ball)." 

Ryu did not lose either. He had a pleasant war of words with Puig, asking, "Who can run faster?"

Ryu Hyun-jin and Puig entered the Major League in 2013 wearing LA Dodgers uniforms. Although they came from different regions and languages, they quickly became close. Throughout the 2018 season, they played six seasons together.

When Puig moved to the Cincinnati Reds ahead of the 2019 season, Ryu Hyun-jin and his companion were over. Puig was silent on Ryu Hyun-jin, a Dodgers member, with no hits in three at-bats at the time when he met as an "enemy" in a Cincinnati uniform. 

Ryu Hyun-jin and Puig's return match was made in six years. Ryu Hyun-jin pitched six scoreless innings against the Kiwoom Heroes on the 11th and won the 2025 season. He tied Puig with no hits and one strikeout in three at-bats, showing off his powerful ball power.

Immediately after winning his first win of the season, Ryu Hyun-jin said, "I didn't expect to play against Puig again in Korea, but it was fun." 

Puig drew attention by signing a contract with Kiwoom ahead of the 2022 season. At that time, while spring camps were underway in Korea in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, a meeting was also held with Hanwha players and Ryu Hyun-jin, who was training in Korea due to the closure of major league workplaces. 

However, as Puig left Korea for the 2023 and 2024 seasons due to personal privacy concerns, the reunion between the two could not take place even though Ryu Hyun-jin returned to the KBO League last year. As Puig returns to Kiwoom this year, Korean monsters and bad boys can often meet in Korea.

Meanwhile, Puig presented one of his bats to Ryu on the day. He picked out a bat that he was not using and handed it to Ryu himself. Lee Yong-kyu, the Kiwoom's oldest player, also had a pleasant conversation with Ryu and Puig for a short time.

Puig is rumored to have joked that Ryu Hyun-jin will become the oldest pitcher in the league by the end of his eight-year contract, as if he heard that he signed a contract with Hanwha by 2031.   

Puig shook off his disappointment after being tied to Ryu Hyun-jin on the 11th. He produced a hit at his last at-bat in the top of the ninth inning and boosted his batting sense. 

Ryu Hyun-jin and Puig are expected to face off again at Gocheok Sky Dome as early as next month. Hanwha and Kiwoom will play the second three consecutive games of the 2025 season on May 9-11.