Ryu, Dodgers off to a winning start

March 24, 2014

Korean left-hander pitches five shutout innings

as the Dodgers sweep the D-backs Down Under

Ryu Hyun-jin and the Dodgers are off to a great start.

Ryu Hyun-jin and the Dodgers are off to a great start.

By Lee Kyutae

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ Korean left-hander Ryu Hyun-jin opened his sophomore season in the big leagues on a winning note.

Ryu won his first start of the 2014 season against the Arizona Diamondbacks (D-backs) in Australia on Saturday, pitching five shutout innings in L.A.’s 7-5 win in the second game of the Major League Baseball (MLB) opening series Down Under. Ryu stymied the D-backs at Sydney Cricket Ground, allowing just two hits and one walk while striking out five batters. He threw 87 pitches, 55 of them for strikes.

He also went 1-for-2 with a run scored at the plate.

Ryu said after the game that he was happy with winning start, but he wished he had pitched a little deeper into the game.

The Dodgers won both games in Sydney over the weekend. In the first game, the reigning National League Cy Young award winner Clayton Kershaw led them to a 3-1 victory.