The ♥ RYU ♥ Thread

first time i've seen him pitch live (on tv)
very impressed -- not a lot of velocity, but great changes of speed/location
7 innings of 1-hit ball
he's definitely earned a spot in the rotation imo...

Ryu looks destined for rotation
By Ken Gurnick / MLB.com | 03/24/2013 2:10 AM ET

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Manager Don Mattingly all but confirmed on Saturday night that Hyun-Jin Ryu has won a spot somewhere in the Dodgers' starting rotation.

"It's hard to say the guy wouldn't be in the rotation the way he's pitched," Mattingly said after Ryu tossed a one-hitter over seven innings in a 10-4 win against the White Sox. "There's no reason to think he's not going to pitch good. After his last outing there's not a lot not to like. He's quick to the plate, changes speeds and locates well. That what we ask our guys to do."

Ryu said he'll show even another gear in April.

"Everything will be more crisp," said the Korean import. "The velocity will be a couple miles an hour faster, the command will be a little bit better overall."

Ryu is pitching on the same cycle as Chad Billingsley, who still can't throw a curveball because of a bruised right index finger. If the season started this week instead of next week, Ryu would be starting Game 2.

With Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and Josh Beckett guaranteed spots if healthy, and veterans Ted Lilly, Chris Capuano and Aaron Harang still competing, Ryu was asked if he felt he had done enough to win a spot in the starting rotation.

"I think I've shown enough in camp for the coaching staff to make a decision," he said. "But camp is camp. I don't put too much weight on it. What matters is the regular season."

Ryu said he threw more curveballs than in earlier games and, after command problems the first two innings, he was pleased with his command.

"Everything is coming along according to my plan," he said. "I'm up to 100 pitches [98 in this start], and I feel there's more life in my pitches, especially the fastball."

Ryu also was thrilled to get his first base hit since, well, he doesn't remember. He never hit as a professional in Korea. The hit came off White Sox starter Jake Peavy.

"I was a little bit dumbfounded," he said. "I squared the ball up and was really happy. Especially against a Cy Young Award winner. But he knew he was facing a pitcher, and he was throwing nothing but fastballs."​

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the ryu
the ryu
the ryu is on fire!

 

For now, Dodgers let Hyun-Jin Ryu stick to a routine that goes counter to American custom
Tim Brown | Yahoo! Expert
1 hour 18 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES – At about the pace Hyun-Jin Ryu, the 26-year-old South Korean left-hander, is learning of life in America and its major leagues, the Los Angeles Dodgers are learning of him.

A couple months in, they've found Ryu to be bright, amusing and quite sure of himself, his confidence perhaps befitting such a pitcher so decorated in Korea.

And Ryu is finding his way. He allowed a run in 6 1/3 innings against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night, just a run in spite of the 10 singles with which the Giants peppered him. He pitched to contact, stubbornly and admirably, and over the course of 80 pitches wisely marginalized his unruly curveball. Instead, he leaned on what pitching coach Rick Honeycutt called, "a plus-plus changeup."


Hyun-Jin Ryu gets his second start of the season on Sunday against Pittsburgh. (EFE)

All things considered, the Dodgers liked what they saw of Ryu, in whom they've invested $36 million over six seasons. He pitched himself into their rotation, held up well against the Giants, and on Sunday will start against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

On Friday afternoon, Ryu sat on a couch in the Dodgers' clubhouse, generally avoided eye contact, and said through his translator, "I'm getting used to life here. Everything's going pretty well."

Not much had happened since his first start, one that admittedly he entered with jangling nerves. In fact, Ryu's week has pretty much consisted of waiting for his second start.

See, he doesn't throw between starts. Never has. Not in Korea. Not now. When he reported to the Dodgers for spring training, according to the club, he hadn't thrown all winter.

At a time when the pitcher's arm is the most scrutinized piece of anatomy in sports, when arm maintenance methodologies are debated, when pitch counts – in and out of games – are tabulated and sweated over, Ryu stands on the side of extreme caution. Or extreme preservation.

Ryu did endure Tommy John surgery and recovery while in high school. But, in the course of a conversation about his routine – or, in this case, non-routine – Ryu did not mention that as grounds for his personal schedule. Or non-schedule.

"It started a few years ago," he said. "In Korea, it's common you throw over 100 pitches in every start. It takes five days to fully recuperate. My No. 1 priority is to be ready to throw another 100 pitches."

In the U.S., the vast majority of starting pitchers throws a fairly rigorous bullpen session between starts. It is there where pitchers maintain arm strength and feel, and troubleshoot issues from the previous start. Ryu might throw the ball around in the outfield with a teammate. Or he might not.

"In Korea, it was never an issue," he said. "Here, we actually did have a discussion with the coaching staff. I would change that if necessary."

The Dodgers knew of Ryu's between-starts preference when they signed him, talked it through with Ryu during spring training, and were – and are – agreeable. For one, it worked, not only in Korea, but in spring training, where Ryu made early adjustments in games and improved as the season approached. For another, Ryu believes in it. At a time of personal and professional change, the fewer moving parts the better. The ball has changed, the opposing lineups have changed, the scouting reports have changed. The schedule has not.

So, they'll respect and support Ryu's wishes for as long as it works. Or doesn't.

"We're comfortable with it to the extent that's what he does and that's what's made him successful," Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said. "It would be unfair to ask him to adjust until we see it doesn't work.

"Like anybody in any walk of life that's successful, they know themselves better than anybody."

The Dodgers could require Ryu to throw a 45-pitch side session, Colletti said, and perhaps risk Ryu's comfort, health and effectiveness. It didn't seem to him the wisest of tacks.

"Now suddenly we've done something to change what's made him good," he said. "It's a style and preparation he's accustomed to."


The Dodgers' rookie from South Korea doesn't lack confidence, his teammates say. (Getty Images)

If nothing else, it's interesting. Honeycutt said that, outside a few with aching or worn-down bodies, he'd not known of a pitcher whose philosophy was to go – literally – from start to start. A lot of coaching takes place in those bullpen sessions. A lot of refining. A lot of conversation.

"The point is, he's been successful doing it his way for quite a while, so we'll see," Honeycutt said. "We're letting him do it his way."

Otherwise, he said, "It would be like me taking Zack Greinke and suggesting stuff totally against what he's done because that's my preference."

So, they'll watch and see. Ryu said that if a problem develops, he'll adjust. He'll throw between starts. Maybe even a little more before starts. See, he also throws about 25 pitches about 20 minutes before he takes the mound, also a comparatively light load. But, that's his thing. That's what got him here.

Luis Cruz, who became friendly with Ryu during spring training, cited Ryu's extreme confidence. So did A.J. Ellis, who caught Ryu's start against the Giants.

"The guy just oozes confidence," Ellis said.

The rest, they'll figure out. It's a good place to start.

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dude is a rockstar...

Hyun-Jin Ryu plays catch with young Dodgers fan in the stands​

By Mike Oz | Big League Stew – 3 hours ago​

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Here's a pretty cool scene that we don't see every day: Hyun-Jin Ryu, the Korean pitcher imported by the Los Angeles Dodgers this season, playing catch with a kid in the stands during batting practice.​

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The young fan goes by the name of Deuce, and he's a regular in the Dodgers left field pavilion. (And he's got a pretty good arm, huh?) Deuce's future trips to the stadium won't be as cool as this one. According to Dodgerfilms, who captured and posted the video, the pair played catch for about five minutes until batting practice ended.​

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The kid has effectively raised the bar on pre-game player interactions. Who wants to catch a home-run ball or get an autograph when you can actually play catch with a $61 million player from your seat? For insurance purposes, this can't be something the organization adores, but from a make-your-fans-love-you perspective, it's gold.​

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This comes a week after Dodgers star Matt Kemp made headlines for his postgame interaction with a sick fan — in which Kemp gave the young man his jersey, hat, cleats and an autographed baseball. The Dodgers, standings be damned, are winning with fans lately.​

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Follow @MikeOz and @bigleaguestew, on Twitter, along with the BLS Facebook page.​

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