Best Dodgers Games Of 2019 Season: No. 5, Hyun-Jin Ryu Nearly Throws No-Hitter Against Nationals

As Opening Day of the 2020 Major League Baseball season remains indefinitely delayed, MLB.TV made every game from 2018 and 2019 available to stream for free. With that, DodgerBlue.com ranked the best Los Angeles Dodgers games from those two seasons.

The list continues with the No. 5 game from 2019, when Hyun-Jin Ryu nearly tossed a no-hitter against the Washington Nationals on May 12.

The start at Dodger Stadium marked the left-hander’s fifth since returning from a brief stint on the 10-day injured list. He was dominant early on, retiring the first 10 batters faced.

A walk to Brian Dozier with one out in the fourth inning represented the Nationals’ first baserunner of the game. It was only the third free pass issued all season by Ryu in 52.1 innings to that point.

At the time of Ryu issuing the walk, the Dodgers had already taken a 1-0 lead behind a Corey Seager sacrifice fly. The club added another run in the bottom of the fourth inning via an RBI groundout by Alex Verdugo.

Still holding the Nationals without a hit in the sixth, Ryu was the beneficiary of a Cody Bellinger web gem.

Stephen Strasburg hit a line drive into right field, but Bellinger sprinted to his left and threw a 93 mph strike to Max Muncy at first base for the rare 9-3 putout. The assist was Bellinger’s fourth of the season, tying him for the National League lead.

Moreover, Bellinger’s defensive highlight preserved Ryu’s no-hitter for another two innings. In the eighth, the Nationals tallied their first base knock of the night when noted Dodgers nemesis Gerardo Parra drove a one-out, ground-rule double to left-center field.

Ryu escaped the frame unscathed, finishing his night with eight scoreless innings, nine strikeouts and just the two baserunners allowed. The clean outing additionally extended his scoreless innings streak to 24.

L.A. added four insurance runs in the bottom half of the eighth courtesy of Seager’s grand slam. Kenley Jansen went on to record the final three outs of the game, solidifying the Dodgers’ 6-0 victory.