Austin Barnes (34) is a player who has played for the Dodgers for 10 years since moving to the Los Angeles Dodgers through a trade in December 2014. Although he did not shine brilliantly, he performed consistently as a backup catcher.
In this process, he worked with great starting pitchers such as Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, and Max Scherzer. I also worked with Ryu Hyun-jin. He played in 14 major league games and recorded an ERA of 2.96.
“Ryu Hyun-jin? I really love it. He is one of my favorites.”
news/cms/202410/30/news-p.v1.20241030.e2a1074853bb450fa9dab579d3b327b1_R.jpg" data-width="512" data-height="341" /> Enlarge photo Ryu Hyun-jin and Barnes worked together in the Dodgers. Photo = ⓒAFPBBNews = News1
Barnes, whom we met at the World Series, said this with a bright expression when Ryu Hyun-jin’s name came up.
Ryu Hyun-jin is not a pitcher who throws a powerful fastball, but he played 10 seasons in the major league with sharp control. In 186 games, he recorded 78 wins, 48 losses, and an average ERA of 3.27. He was selected as an All-Star in 2019 and was named a finalist for the 2019 and 2020 Cy Young Award.
“He’s a pitcher with really good command,” Barnes said. He recalled Ryu Hyun-jin’s pitching, saying, “He was a pitcher who knew how to shake batters back and forth by attacking every corner of the strike zone as if he were painting it.”
He then gave high praise to Ryu Hyun-jin’s command again, saying, “The thing that stood out the most about him was his command.”
![“A pitcher who knows how to shake batters” Ryu Hyun-jin, remembered by Dodgers catcher Barnes [MK인터뷰]](https://pimg.mk.co.kr/news/cms/202410/30/news-p.v1.20241030.23ed9234f4ab4c2ea66deb3c642d2413_P1.jpg "“A pitcher who knows how to shake batters” Ryu Hyun-jin, remembered by Dodgers catcher Barnes [MK인터뷰]")
news/cms/202410/30/news-p.v1.20241030.23ed9234f4ab4c2ea66deb3c642d2413_R.jpg" data-width="600" data-height="771" /> Enlarge photo This is Barnes’ fourth World Series. Photo (Los Angeles, USA) = Correspondent Kim Jae-ho
Ryu Hyun-jin also had difficult times. In 2015, he underwent surgery to treat a shoulder injury and underwent rehabilitation for two years. In 2017, his comeback season, he faltered, recording an ERA of 3.77 in 25 games. However, after that, he was able to become a top pitcher once again.
Barnes, who watched both his light and dark moments, said, “Joe was truly a teammate and pitcher. I think he was a great player. “It was really nice to be able to play with him,” he said about his memories with Ryu Hyun-jin.
When Barnes visited Seoul for the Seoul Series last March, he met Ryu Hyun-jin, who visited the stadium.
Barnes, who revealed that they shared a warm hug at the time, spoke again about Ryu Hyun-jin’s presence, saying, “I really learned a lot from him.”
news/cms/202410/30/news-p.v1.20241030.c1e5dc48c8204de49d77cfd53ee59a23_R.jpg" data-width="640" data-height="605" /> Enlarge photo Ryu Hyun-jin is greeting coach Dave Roberts after visiting the Seoul Series last March. Photo = MK Sports DB
Meanwhile, as of 2024, the Dodgers’ starting lineup is being replaced by new faces. Zack Greinke and Julio Urias have left, and Kershaw is unable to play due to a toe injury.
Tyler Glasnow, who was recruited ahead of this season, left the team due to an elbow injury. Walker Buehler, who was a rookie when Ryu Hyun-jin was playing, has become a veteran and is playing a part in the starting lineup, while Jack Flairty and Yoshinobu Yamamoto form a three-man postseason rotation, and the remaining game is a bullpen game.
The starting lineup was evaluated as poor, but Barnes did not acknowledge this evaluation. “Our starters are confident in their own ball and have a lot of experience,” he said, raising his voice to say that the starters are confident.
As he said, the Dodgers’ starting lineup is overwhelming their opponents in this World Series. Until Game 3, he pitched 16 2/3 innings and allowed only eight hits. According to Elias Sports, there were only two teams in the World Series that allowed less than 15 hits: the 1939 New York Yankees (23 innings, 11 hits) and the 2004 Boston Red Sox (23 2/3 innings, 13 hits).
Barnes, who has received credit from numerous starting pitchers including Ryu Hyun-jin, is creating another unforgettable memory this fall.
[로스앤젤레스(미국)= 김재호 MK스포츠 특파원]
