ML has blossomed for 3 years in Korea. Samsung’s annual salary cut made it the winner of the ML.

Among the San Francisco Giants’ winning members of the National League West (NL), there was a familiar face to domestic baseball fans. Darin Ruf (35), a “big gun” who played as the fourth batter of the Samsung Lions in the KBO League for three years. Ruf, who played in Korea two years ago, is now standing tall as the winner of the Major League Baseball’s highest winning rate team.

San Francisco won the final game of the season against the San Diego Padres 11-4 on the 4th (Korea Standard Time), winning the NL West with 107 wins and 55 losses. He won the district title for the first time in nine years since 2012 and stopped the “rival” LA Dodgers from losing nine consecutive games, which had reached the top for eight consecutive years in 2013-2020. 107 wins were the most wins in the club’s history, with the league’s highest winning rate (660) this year.

Although he did not play in the game, Ruf also hugged his fellow players and shared his joy. Ruf has a batting average of .271 with 71 hits, 16 home runs, and 43 RBIs in 117 games this season.He played an active role as 904. Although he was not a full-time key player, he was ranked sixth in the bWAR (2.9) in the team, showing a higher contribution than most key players. He crossed three positions, including first baseman, left fielder, and right fielder, making sure to make use of his strengths with a batting average of .283 against left-handed pitchers, nine home runs and an OPS of 1.007.

Yahoo Sports of the U.S. also reported on San Francisco’s victory and evaluated Ruf as one of the main players. The media said, “Ruff spent three seasons in Korea before signing a minor contract with San Francisco last year. “He, who will start first base in the playoffs due to Brandon Belt’s injury, has blossomed into a pinch hitter with one shot and a versatile platoon player,” he highlighted.

Ruf, who played for Samsung for three years from 2017 to 2019, signed a minor contract with San Francisco last year after breaking down his contract (Samsung proposed a salary cut). Ruf, who survived by renewing his contract with a bat that exceeded expectations, contributed to the district championship by spending his career-high season at the age of 35.

San Francisco’s view of filling the roster vacancy through minor contracts or trades stands out. Yahoo Sports cited not only Ruf but also outfielder Ramonte Wade Jr., who came as a trade player from the Minnesota Twins, and showed off his clutch with a batting average of .571 after three releases (minor relegation) in February 안전공원

The media then praised the San Francisco front, saying, “Three of San Francisco’s four most reliable starters (Kevin Gaussman, Anthony Desclafany, Alex Wood) are FA players who signed a one-year contract at an affordable price, and the bullpen also features successful development and cheap recruitment.”