SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Hyun Jin Ryu looks set to return to South Korea after 10 years in Major League Baseball, South Korean media reported.
The 36-year-old Ryu, nicknamed “Korean Monster,” is expected to come back to his former club Hanwha Eagles. The Eagles offered him a four-year contract worth at least 17 billion won ($12.7 million), which would make him the highest-paid player in the Korean Baseball Organization league, Yonhap news agency reported.
Other South Korean media outlets carried similar reports. Calls to the Eagles' office in southern South Korea were unanswered.
The left-hander played six seasons for the the Los Angeles Dodgers and spent four years with the Blue Jays. Ryu compiled a 78-48 regular season record with a 3.27 ERA in 186 outings in 10 major league seasons.
Ryu started his professional baseball career with the Eagles in 2006. On his debut season, he won both the MVP and Rookie of the Year titles. Ryu was 98-52 with a 2.80 career ERA during seven seasons in South Korea.
He pitched for his country on teams that won the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and reached the championship game of the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
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Jiwon Song, The Associated Press
