Over the past several years, NC Dinos reliever Ryu Jin-wook watched Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason games on television, wondering what it would feel like to be part of the action. Even as his own club made a run to the Korean Series title in 2020, the right-handed pitcher remained a spectator, deemed not good enough to pitch for the contender. But in October 2023, Ryu, now 27, is not only playing in his first postseason for the Dinos, but is an indispensable part of their bullpen.
Having taken a circuitous path to reach this point, Ryu wants to make the most of his experience playing meaningful games in October and beyond. He has been a pleasant surprise so far in the KBO postseason. In three outings across two series, Ryu has held opponents to one earned run over 4 1/3 innings of relief work. And more importantly for Ryu, the Dinos have won all three games: the wild card game over the Doosan Bears and the first two games of the best-of-five series against the SSG Landers.
“Whenever I take the mound, I focus on helping the team win. My mindset is that even if I give up runs, I have to keep that to a minimum,” Ryu told reporters Monday before Game 2 against the Landers at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon, west of Seoul. “I don’t worry about anything else. As long as the team wins, I don’t beat myself up for giving up runs. In the postseason, a team victory is more important than personal stats.” Ryu pitched just hours later in Game 2, and pitched 1 1/3 shutout innings in the Dinos’ 7-3 victory.
“We want to have the last laugh. We began this postseason aiming high,” he said. “We all want to keep playing baseball until much later in the year.” Ryu was drafted out of high school in 2014, but it wasn’t until 2020 that he made his KBO debut. In 한국을 those intervening years, Ryu underwent two elbow operations and also completed his mandatory military service. The Dinos won their first-ever Korean Series championship in 2020 but Ryu was not on their postseason roster then. He then emerged as a viable bullpen option over the next two years, but the Dinos missed the postseason both times.
Pieces finally fell into place in 2023, with Ryu enjoying his best season and the Dinos returning to the playoffs. He pitched to a 2.15 ERA in 67 innings across 70 appearances this year, establishing himself as one of the most reliable setup men in the league. Ryu tied for the KBO lead in ERA among all relievers who pitched in at least 60 games this year. Despite Ryu’s regular season success, few could have predicted the pitcher would remain just as effective under the bright spotlights of the postseason, especially since he has never been on this stage before.
Ryu himself hasn’t been fazed by the moment, though. “I’ve only watched postseason games on TV,” he said. “And to be standing on the mound myself during a postseason game has been so much fun.” Ryu said he doesn’t necessarily consider himself a big game pitcher who embraces postseason pressure. Instead, he has been able to maintain a healthy perspective on his experience.
“I considered these postseason games a bonus,” Ryu said. “I know that pitching in these games will help me down the road. As I gain more experience, I will continue to get better and better. “Honestly, my confidence is growing with each outing, but I don’t want to become overconfident,” Ryu added. “I just want to stay relaxed and enjoy myself out there. I don’t ever want to end up being the guy that gives up a lead. That’s my main goal.