Hyun-jin Ryu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hyun-jin Ryu
Ryu with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2013
Hanwha Eagles – No. 99
Pitcher
Born: (1987-03-25) March 25, 1987 (age 38) Incheon, South Korea
Bats: Right Throws: Left
Professional debut
KBO: April 12, 2006, for the Hanwha Eagles
MLB: April 2, 2013, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
KBO statistics (through 2024 season)
Win–loss record	108–60
Earned run average	2.92
Strikeouts	1,373
MLB statistics (through 2023 season)
Win–loss record	78–48
Earned run average	3.27
Strikeouts	934
Teams
Hanwha Eagles (2006–2012) Los Angeles Dodgers (2013–2014, 2016–2019) Toronto Blue Jays (2020–2023) Hanwha Eagles (2024–present)
Career highlights and awards
KBO Korean Triple Crown (2006) 7× KBO All-Star (2006–2012) KBO MVP (2006) KBO Rookie of the Year (2006) 2× KBO Golden Glove Award (2006, 2010) 5× KBO strikeout champion (2006–2007, 2009–2010, 2012) 2× KBO ERA champion (2006, 2010) MLB All-Star (2019) 2× All-MLB Second Team (2019, 2020) MLB ERA leader (2019)
Medals Men's baseball Representing KOR World Baseball Classic Silver 2009 Los Angeles Team Olympics Gold 2008 Beijing Team Asian Games Bronze 2006 Doha Team Gold 2010 Guangzhou Team

Hyun-jin Ryu (born March 25, 1987) is a famous South Korean professional baseball pitcher. He plays for the Hanwha Eagles in the KBO League (Korea Baseball Organization). He also played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays.

In 2013, after playing seven seasons with the Eagles, Ryu became the first player from the KBO to join an MLB team. This happened through a special "posting system." During the 2018 World Series, Ryu made history as the first Korean pitcher to start a game in the World Series. In 2019, he was chosen for his first Major League Baseball All-Star Game. That season, he had the best earned run average (ERA) in the Majors. His ERA was super low (1.26) in his first 14 starts, which was the lowest for a Dodgers pitcher since 1912!

About Hyun-jin Ryu

Early Life and School

Ryu was born in Incheon, South Korea, on March 25, 1987. He went to Dongsan High School in Incheon. He is also studying for a master's degree in physical education at Daejeon University. When Ryu was 10, his dad bought him a special glove for left-handed players. This is why Ryu learned to pitch with his left hand.

Amateur Baseball Career

In 2004, Ryu had a special surgery called Tommy John surgery, so he couldn't play in any official games that year. But in 2005, he led his team to win the Blue Dragon Open National High School Championship. He pitched 22 innings in a row without letting the other team score! He was also a good batter, hitting .389 in the tournament. He was named the Best Pitcher.

In 2005, Ryu played for the South Korea junior team. They finished second in the 6th Asian Junior Baseball Championship. Ryu helped his team reach the final by striking out ten batters in one game. He only allowed one run in six innings.

Playing for the Hanwha Eagles (2006–2012)

In July 2005, the Hanwha Eagles picked Ryu in the KBO League Draft. He started his professional career on April 12, 2006. In his first year (2006), Ryu had an amazing record: 18 wins and 6 losses. His ERA was 2.23, and he struck out 205 batters. He won the "pitching Triple Crown" (leading in wins, ERA, and strikeouts). He was also named both Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year! He is the only player in KBO history to win both awards in the same season.

In 2006, at just 19 years old, he was the first Korean player in 25 years to win Rookie of the Year and MVP at the same time. He was also only the second pitcher to win the Triple Crown.

In August 2008, Ryu played for the South Korea national baseball team in the 2008 Summer Olympics. His team won the gold medal in baseball! In one game, Ryu pitched a complete game shutout against Canada, allowing no runs. In the gold medal game against Cuba, he pitched 8 innings, helping his team win 3–2.

In 2009, he played for South Korea in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, where they finished second. In 2010, Ryu helped the South Korea team win the gold medal at the 2010 Asian Games. On May 11, 2010, Ryu made history by striking out 17 batters in a nine-inning game.

By 2012, Ryu wanted to play in Major League Baseball in the United States. Many MLB teams sent scouts to watch him pitch. On October 29, 2012, the Eagles announced that Ryu would be "posted." This meant MLB teams could bid for the chance to talk to him about a contract.

Playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers (2013–2019)

On November 9, 2012, the Los Angeles Dodgers made the highest bid ($25.7 million) for Ryu. This gave them 30 days to sign him. On December 9, he signed a six-year, $36 million contract with the Dodgers.

First MLB Season: 2013

Ryu pitching at Dodger Stadium in April 2013.

Ryu made his first Major League Baseball start on April 2, 2013. He got his first MLB win on April 7 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. On April 13, he got his first major league hit, a double! He even had three hits in that game, which was very rare for a pitcher. This game was also his 100th career win, counting his wins in both South Korea and the U.S.

On May 28, 2013, Ryu pitched a complete game shutout against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He struck out seven batters and allowed only two hits. This was his first shutout in MLB! In 30 games for the Dodgers in 2013, Ryu had 14 wins and 8 losses with a 3.00 ERA. He was even named to the "All-Rookie team" by Baseball America.

Ryu pitching in October 2013.

On October 6, 2013, Ryu became the first South Korean pitcher to start a game in the Major League Baseball postseason.

2014 and Injuries

In 2014, Ryu started 26 games for the Dodgers, winning 14 games and losing 7. His ERA was 3.38. He missed some time because of injuries.

In 2015, Ryu had shoulder pain and needed surgery. This meant he couldn't pitch at all during the 2015 season. In 2016, he tried to come back but had elbow problems and needed another surgery.

Comeback and World Series Start: 2017–2018

Ryu finally got his first MLB win since 2014 on April 30, 2017. In 2017, he made 24 starts and had 5 wins and 9 losses with a 3.77 ERA.

In 2018, Ryu started the season very well, but then got a groin injury. Overall, he made 15 starts, with 7 wins and 3 losses and an excellent 1.97 ERA. On October 24, 2018, Ryu made history again by becoming the first Korean pitcher to start a game in the World Series. After the season, he chose to stay with the Dodgers for 2019.

Amazing 2019 Season

Ryu was chosen as the Dodgers' opening day starter for the 2019 season. On May 7, 2019, he pitched his second career complete-game shutout! He struck out six batters and allowed only four hits. In his next game, he almost pitched a no-hitter, allowing only one hit in 8 innings. These great performances earned him the "NL Player of the Week" award. He continued his amazing pitching, going 31 innings without giving up a run! This was one of the longest scoreless streaks in Dodgers history.

Ryu won "MLB Pitcher of the Month" for May 2019. He had 5 wins and 0 losses with a tiny 0.59 ERA. He was also chosen to be the starting pitcher for the National League in the 2019 MLB All-Star Game. On September 22, Ryu hit his first career home run! He finished the regular season with 14 wins and 5 losses. He led all of MLB with the best ERA (2.32) and had very few walks. He finished second in the voting for the National League Cy Young Award, which is given to the best pitcher.

Playing for the Toronto Blue Jays (2020–2023)

Ryu pitching with the Blue Jays in 2020

On December 27, 2019, Ryu signed a four-year, $80 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 baseball season started late. On July 24, Hyun-jin made his Blue Jays debut as the opening day starting pitcher. He finished the short 2020 season with 5 wins and 2 losses, and a 2.69 ERA. He helped the Blue Jays make it to the playoffs for the first time since 2016! He finished third in the voting for the 2020 American League Cy Young award. He also won the Warren Spahn Award, given to the best left-handed pitcher in MLB.

In 2021, Ryu made 31 starts for Toronto, with 14 wins and 10 losses. In 2022, he had another injury to his elbow and needed Tommy John surgery again. This meant he couldn't pitch for a long time. On August 1, 2023, Ryu made his return to the Blue Jays. After the season, he became a free agent.

Return to the Hanwha Eagles

On February 20, 2024, Ryu decided to go back to South Korea and play for his old team, the Hanwha Eagles. He signed an eight-year contract for 17 billion won, which is the biggest contract in KBO League history!

How Ryu Pitches

Ryu is a left-handed pitcher who is 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 255 pounds. He throws several different types of pitches:

• A fastball that goes about 89–92 miles per hour (and sometimes up to 95 mph).
• A cutter.
• A curveball.
• A slider.
• A change-up.

Scouts say his change-up is his best pitch and can get batters out easily. Ryu is also very good at throwing his pitches exactly where he wants them in the strike zone. He doesn't walk many batters.

Through the 2019 season, Ryu was the only pitcher from Asia with a career ERA under 3.00 in Major League Baseball (for pitchers with at least 500 innings pitched). His MLB career ERA is 3.27 through the 2023 season.

Ryu's Popularity

A banner supporting Ryu hangs in Koreatown in Los Angeles in July 2013.

Hyun-jin Ryu is very popular among South Korean baseball fans. Many Korean fans, and fans of Korean background, come to watch him play in almost every stadium. For example, in July 2013, after a game in Toronto, hundreds of Korean fans stayed after the game to give Ryu a standing ovation. This is common during a game, but very rare after a game!

Ryu is so respected in South Korea that no player on the Hanwha Eagles has worn his jersey number 99 since he left for MLB in 2012.

Ryu's Family Life

Ryu married Bae Ji-hyun, a Korean sports reporter, on January 5, 2018. Their wedding was led by Kim In-sik, who was Ryu's first manager at the Hanwha Eagles. The couple announced in October 2019 that they were going to have their first child. Their daughter was born on May 17, 2020. Later, on July 24, 2022, Ryu announced his wife was expecting their second child. Their second child, a son, was born in Toronto on September 29, 2022.

Playing for His Country

Hyun-jin Ryu has proudly represented South Korea in many international baseball competitions.

Year	Venue	Competition	Team	Individual Note
2005	KOR	Asian Junior Baseball Championship		0–0; 0.00 ERA (3 G, 8.1 IP, 0 ER, 14 K)
2006	Qatar	Asian Games		0–0; 9.95 ERA (2 G, 6.1 IP, 7 ER, 6 K)
2007	TPE	Asian Baseball Championship		1–0; 0.00 ERA (1 G, 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 K)
2008	TPE	Final Olympic Qualification Tournament		0–1; 3.00 ERA (2 G, 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 7 K)
2008	CHN	Olympic Games		2–0; 1.04 ERA (2 G, 17.1 IP, 2 ER, 13 K)
2009	USA	World Baseball Classic		1–0; 2.57 ERA (5 G, 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 7 K)
2010	CHN	Asian Games		1–0; 3.60 ERA (2 G, 10.0 IP, 4 ER, 8 K)

See also

In Spanish: Hyun-jin Ryu para niños

• List of Major League Baseball players from South Korea
• List of World Series starting pitchers
• Los Angeles Dodgers award winners and league leaders