Ryu Hyun-jin's MLB All-Star training jersey goes for $15,000 at charity auction

Ryu Hyun-jin’s 2019 MLB All-Star training jersey sold for 21 million won ($15,000) at a charity auction in Korea on Sunday.

Ryu Hyun-jin watches during batting practice for the MLB All-Star game in Cleveland, Ohio on July 8, 2019. [AP/YONHAP]

Ryu Hyun-jin’s 2019 MLB All-Star training jersey sold for 21 million won ($15,000) at a charity auction in Korea on Sunday.

The framed jersey was put up for auction at a charity golf tournament organized by the Ryu Hyun-jin Foundation and Shinhan Bank.

Other lots in the auction included a jersey from San Francisco Giants outfielder Lee Jung-hoo, gloves from SSG Landers ace and former big leaguer Kim Kwang-hyun, a putter from golfer Kim Bi-o and a baseball bat signed by the Hanwha Eagles lineup.

Ryu’s MLB All-Star jersey was the highest-grossing piece of memorabilia at the auction, with Kim’s putter coming in second for 15 million won. Another Ryu item, this one an LA Dodgers spring training kit, came third at 13 million won.

The auction was held alongside the charity golf tournament at Bella Stone Country Club in Hoengseong, Gangwon on Sunday. Participants included former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Park Chan-ho, Olympic gold medalist fencer Kim Jun-ho and Shinhan Bank Vice President Yong Woon-ho.

Proceeds from Sunday’s golf tournament and auction will be split between supporting the careers of young baseball players and supporting children with incurable diseases.

Ryu Hyun-jin tees off at a charity golf tournament hosted by the Ryu Hyun-jin Foundation and Shinhan Bank at Bella Stone Country Club in Hoengseong, Gangwon on Monday. [YONHAP]

Ryu returned to the KBO this year after 11 seasons in the big leagues, rejoining his old club Hanwha Eagles on a huge eight-year, 17 billion won ($12.3 million).

Ryu’s return kicked off the highest-selling KBO season on record, with the Eagles even selling out some spring training games before the season even began. By May the league had already broken the record for the most sellout games in a single season, with the total number of tickets sold passing 10 million by September.

The ultimate KBO ace, Ryu arrived in the league in 2006 to win Rookie of the Year, MVP and All-Star honors and take the Triple Crown.

Ryu went on to make the All-Star team every year for the following six years, topping the KBO strikeout ranking five times, the ERA ranking twice and earning two Golden Glove awards. Ryu moved to the big leagues in 2013, joining the Los Angeles Dodgers on a six-year, $36-million deal.

He pitched for the California club until 2019, when he was the MLB ERA leader and named to the All-Star squad. That year he also finished second in the National League Cy Young Award voting, the closest to the prize a Korean pitcher has ever got.

Ryu made 11 starts in the second half of the 2023 season, going 3-3 with a 3.46 ERA over 52 innings of work. He left the MLB with a big league career 3.27 ERA with 78 wins and 48 losses.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]