Hyun-Jin Ryu

Hyun-jin Ryu is a professional starting pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays. Ryu became a star stateside when he was acquired by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2013. He had pitched the previous seven seasons for the Hanwha Eagles in South Korea and was the first player to join an MLB team through the KBO League's posting system. Ryu had tremendous success in his first two seasons, winning 14 games each year. After several injury-plagued seasons, he returned to form and became the first Korean pitcher to start in the World Series in 2018. Ryu had his best year in 2019, when he went 14-5 with an MLB leading 2.32 ERA and finished second in National League Cy Young voting. He was also the starting pitcher for the NL in the All-Star Game. After his banner campaign, Ryu signed with the Blue Jays in the offseason. Prior to coming to the U.S., Ryu was a seven-time All-Star in the KBO League. In 2006, he won the league's Rookie of the Year and MVP award. He has also represented South Korea in international competition, winning a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics and a silver medal at the 2009 World Baseball Classic.