Dodgers’ Ryu Hyun-jin misses out on awards voted by peers

Los Angeles Dodgers’ South Korean pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin has come up short of winning a pair of awards voted by fellow players.

The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) announced Thursday (U.S. Eastern Time) that Ryu finished second in the National League (NL) Outstanding Pitcher category, behind Jacob deGrom of the New York Mets, as part of MLBPA’s Players Choice Awards.

In this file photo from Oct. 9, 2019, Ryu Hyun-jin of the Los Angeles Dodgers waves to the crowd before the start of Game 5 of the National League Division Series against the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. (Yonhap)

Ryu finished third in the NL Comeback Player category, trailing Josh Donaldson of the Atlanta Braves and Sonny Gray of the Cincinnati Reds.

The South Korean left-hander went 14-5 with a major league-best 2.32 ERA and threw 182 2/3 innings, his highest total since 192 innings as a rookie in 2013. He was the NL starter at the All-Star Game.

Ryu missed the entire 2015 season and made just one start in 2016 because of shoulder and elbow surgeries. He bounced back to make 25 appearances in 2017 but was limited to 15 starts in 2018 with assorted injuries.

Ryu stayed healthy for most of 2019 and made 29 starts, the second-highest total of his career, in a Cy Young-worthy campaign.

But his peers selected deGrom as the NL’s top pitcher. The right-hander could beat out Ryu for his second straight NL Cy Young Award, after going 11-8 with a 2.43 ERA and an NL-leading 255 strikeouts over 204 innings.

Donaldson was picked as the winner in the Comeback Player category, after helping the Braves to the NL East division title with 37 home runs and 94 RBIs. The 2015 American League MVP with the Toronto Blue Jays appeared in only 52 games with the Blue Jays and the Cleveland Indians last season because of injuries.

Ryu is set to become a free agent after the end of the World Series.