Ryu Hyun-jin allows one run in six innings versus Angels

Ryu Hyun-jin, the 32-year-old South Korean pitcher of the Los Angeles Dodgers, did not get to earn his 10th win despite his outstanding performance against the Los Angeles Angels’ center fielder Mike Trout, who is considered as the No. 1 batter in the Major League Baseball by many, due to lackluster plays of his team members.

Ryu started the away game against Angels in the Angel Stadium of Anaheim in California on Tuesday and conceded only one run and seven hits while getting six strikeouts during six innings. Dodgers led the game in the beginning with three runs, including outfielder Chris Taylor’s two-run triple in the top of the second inning. A one-run homer by right fielder Kole Calhoun of Angels in the bottom of the second inning was the only run the South Korean pitcher allowed. It was the seventh home run that Ryu has conceded in this season.

Trout found no solution to Ryu’s pitching. The Angels center fielder only managed to hit a grounder or a fly struggling with a 148 km/h fastball by the Dodgers pitcher in the first inning and subsequently walked away from the mound with a swing and a miss after a full count in the third inning. A similar scenario unfolded in the fifth inning as Ryu struck out Trout again with two runners on base and two outs.

The South Korean pitcher used a cut fastball as the winning pitch against Trout for all three innings. A 143 km/h cutter was shot right in the middle to strike out Trout in the third inning. The last ball pitched against the Angels batter that caused a swing and a miss in the fifth inning was also a 141 km/h cut fastball on the borders of the strike zone. Ryu increased the share of cut fastballs by five percent than usual to confuse the Angels batters.

However, Ryu’s 50th win would have to wait until the next game as the bullpen of Dodgers failed to maintain the momentum from the seventh inning. Trout began to hit back in full swing after Ryu left the mound. The Angels batter hit a two-run homer against bullpen pitcher Dylan Floro over the left-center-field wall with one runner on base tying the game at 3-3. Dodgers lost to Angels 5-3 at the end of a series of frustrating innings after Ryu was relieved.


Won-Joo Lee takeoff@donga.com