March 9th, 2019 at 8:00 am 
by 0799291000348 Dodgers manager Dave Roberts may have already penciled in soon-to-be (on Monday) 39-year-old veteran left-hander Rich Hill to be his Opening Day starting pitcher on March 28 at Dodger Stadium, but fellow left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu, who has also pitched exceptionally well this spring, is quietly making his own case for the season opener, with yet another dominating performance against the Kansas City Royals at a sold out Camelback Ranch on Friday night.
All the 31-year-old Incheon, South Korea native did was allow no runs and only one hit (a single), with no walks and three strikeouts in his 3.0 innings of work.
Ryu has yet to yield a run, earned or unearned, this spring in his three starts and combined 6.0 innings pitched, having allowed just four hits, zero walks and striking out six. In other words, it’s a good thing that Roberts only penciled in Hill’s name as his Opening Day starter because he may have to erase it.
(Video capture courtesy of SportsNet LA)
After two years of rehab following surgery to repair the torn labrum in his left shoulder in May of 2015, Ryu suffered a (very) severe left-groin tear in May of 2018 that sidelined him until after the All-Star break. But the extremely popular left-hander came back with a vengeance and was lights in the second half of the 2018 season, posting a 7-3 record, 1.97 ERA and 1.01 WHIP, while striking out 89 and walking only 15 in his 82.1 innings pitched.
This past off-season Ryu accepted the Dodgers (and MLB’s pre-set) $17.9 million Qualifying Offer and will become a free agent at the end of the 2019 season. He is undoubtedly looking forward to either a hefty contract extension to remain in L.A., or becoming a free agent, without the baggage of another Qualifying Offer.
There is zero doubt that Hill is deserving of the Dodgers Opening Day assignment, as it appears that neither future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw nor young right-handed phenom Walker Buehler will be ready in time to do so. But Ryu is certainly making a strong case for that prestigious honor as well.
A nice problem for Dave Roberts to have, wouldn’t you say?
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Ryu is a Stud! He would have signed a huge deal this off-season had he not been out much of the last 3 years. He was the best pitcher in all of Korea before coming to MLB. Won a Gold Medal with the Korean National team, started game 1 against the Braves in the NLDS last season. Not many better starters out there lining up in the #3 rotation slot,(Carrasco with the Indians comes to mind). Part of why I’ll always be a Dodger fan is because of their legacy of embracing talent from all over the world! Hopefully he stays healthy all season, and signs an extension with LA!
I am a fan! A very fine “pitcher” in the fullest meaning of the word. I admire the way he carries himself as a professional regardless of the circumstances.
It’s great to see Hyun-Jin pitching well. I always believed he would come back as good or better than before. I say better because we’ve never seen him pitch with a healthy shoulder before last year.
I’m also glad that he’s still a Dodger and hope remains a Dodger.