Dodgers' Hyun-Jin Ryu's ERA is Utterly Absurd and We Need to Talk More About it
By Mark Powell
Hyun-Jin Ryu's return from the injured list went about as planned, as the South Korean hurler threw seven innings of five-hit ball to the tune of no earned runs and four strikeouts.
Perhaps what makes Ryu so impressive is his pitching acumen and strategy. Rather than mowing down hitters left and right, Ryu isn't anywhere near the MLB lead in strikeouts with just 121. Instead, Ryu pitches to contact, and is definitively the best at doing so in the majors this season.
At this point Hyun-Jin Ryu isn't merely "getting away with" pitching to contact. He's thriving off it. In 2019, that's saying something. Six shutout innings, three strikeouts.
— J.P. Hoornstra (@jphoornstra) August 11, 2019
After Sunday's win over the Diamondbacks, Ryu has lowered his MLB-leading ERA for a starter to 1.45. That's nearly a full run better than Atlanta's Mike Soroka, who conveniently sits in second place at 2.32. If you were to exclude Ryu's two worst outings this season at Colorado and St. Louis, his ERA would sit at .92. Keep in mind we're in mid August.
It’s mid-August and Hyun-Jin Ryu has a 1.45 ERA pic.twitter.com/iCQi8Na3uS
— Troy Rose (@troysongz7) August 11, 2019
Ryu would need a catastrophic collapse to blow the NL Cy Young Award, and ought to be discussed more in MVP consideration. On a pitching staff which includes the likes of Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler, it's Ryu who's quietly gone about his business and leading the Dodgers' rotation.