Choo Shin-soo welcomes fellow MLB All-Star Ryu Hyun-jin to KBO

It was a message from one former major league All-Star to another: welcome home.Choo Shin-soo of the SSG Landers in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said Wednesday he is looking forward to going up against Ryu Hyun-jin, the former big league hurler who reunited with his former KBO club, Hanwha Eagles, on Thursday.After days of buildup, the Eagles finalized their eight-year contract with Ryu, the 2019 National League starter in the All-Star Game, on Thursday.Choo, the 2018 American League All-Star for the Texas Rangers, said he wanted to first pat Ryu on the back for a job well done during his 11 years in the majors."It's not easy to live and play in a foreign country and a foreign culture," Choo said in a statement released by the Landers, while training for the new season in Vero Beach, Florida. "Despite those challenges, Hyun-jin pitched so well. He has been outstanding."Choo, 41, played in Major League Baseball from 2005 to 2020, while Ryu, 36, did so from 2013 to 2023, after first playing f or the Eagles from 2006 to 2012. They went head-to-head just once in their career: on July 27, 2013, when Ryu started for the Los Angeles Dodgers against Choo and the Cincinnati Reds.Choo went 0-for-2 with a walk and Ryu earned his ninth win of his rookie season as the Dodgers prevailed 4-1."I am looking forward to facing Hyun-jin. Since he has tremendous talent and played baseball at a high level, he will help increase the popularity of the KBO and also elevate the quality of play here," Choo said. "Hyun-jin can be a role model for fellow players. I hope he will share what he saw and experienced with younger players in Korea and try to help develop Korean baseball."Source: Yonhap News Agency