▲ Newly appointed Hanwha Eagles Manager Ryu Ji-hyun wears the team uniform during his inauguration ceremony held at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark in Jung-gu, Daejeon, on the afternoon of the 16th.
Ryu Ji-hyun, 55, who took office as the 15th manager of the professional baseball team Hanwha Eagles, expressed his resolve to do his utmost so that passionate Hanwha fans can feel the pride of "Choegang Hanwha" (The Ultimate Hanwha).
The Hanwha club held Ryu's inauguration ceremony and press conference on the 16th at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark.
Hanwha Eagles CEO Park Jong-tae put the orange uniform top featuring the uniform number "76" on Manager Ryu and placed a cap on his head.
New General Manager Seok Jang-hyun, along with player representatives Ryu Hyun-jin and Chae Eun-seong, presented celebratory bouquets to Manager Ryu Ji-hyun.
Manager Ryu showed ambition, stating, "I will make Hanwha a sustainably strong team so that we can consistently knock on the door of a championship."
Having worn only the LG Twins uniform as a player, coach, and manager since beginning his professional career by joining the LG Twins in 1994, Manager Ryu has now transformed into an orange eagle, taking the helm of a professional team again after four years.
After serving as a coach for a long period and leading LG from 2021 to 2022, Manager Ryu served as the national team's senior coach from 2023 to 2024, and then led the national team as manager from 2025 to 2026.
In March of this year, he led South Korea to the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time in 17 years, and steered South Korean baseball to its fifth consecutive victory at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, laying the stepping stone for his return to a professional managerial post.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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