Hyun-jin Ryu

Hyun-jin Ryu (Hangul: 류현진; born March 25, 1987) is a South Korean professional baseball starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball. In 2013, after spending seven seasons with the Hanwha Eagles of KBO League, Ryu became the first player from the KBO to join an MLB team via the posting system. Ryu was also the first South Korean to serve as the starting pitcher of a Major League Baseball postseason game.

Early life and education

Ryu was born in Incheon, South Korea on March 25, 1987, and attended Incheon's Dongsan High School. He is working towards a master's degree in community physical education in Daejeon University.

Career

Amateur

In 2004, Ryu underwent Tommy John surgery and did not pitch in any official games. In 2005, he led his team to the Blue Dragon Open National High School Championship, pitching 22 consecutive scoreless innings as the team's ace and batting .389 in the tournament. He was named Best Pitcher.

In 2005, Ryu was selected for the South Korea national junior team that was runner-up in the 6th Asian Junior Baseball Championship in Seoul, South Korea. Ryu started the semifinal match against Chinese Taipei, and helped his team reach the final, recording ten strikeouts and giving up one unearned run on four hits in six innings. During the competition, he pitched eight¹⁄₃ innings with 14 strikeouts, and gave up an unearned run on five hits in three games (one start).