With a large lead in the National League West and the best record in baseball, it was not surprising the Los Angeles Dodgers wound up with five players being selected to the 2019 MLB All-Star Game at Progressive Field.
Early NL MVP favorite Cody Bellinger will man right field and bat cleanup, while Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu help comprise manager Dave Roberts’ pitching staff.
Roberts previously confirmed that Ryu will start the All-Star Game, which the left-hander deemed an incredible honor and privilege. Now in his sixth big league season, it marks Ryu’s first career appearance in the exhibition game.
Roberts recently expanded on his decision to start Ryu in the All-Star Game and revealed that the 32-year-old will likely only pitch the first inning, per David Vassegh of AM 570 L.A. Sports:
Dave Roberts reaffirms his intentions to have Hyun-Jin Ryu will start for NL All-Star team. Ryu likely only to pitch first inning. #Dodgers
— David Vassegh (@THEREAL_DV) July 2, 2019
When managing the NL in 2018, Roberts allowed Max Scherzer to pitch the first two innings, which is typical for most starters in an All-Star Game outing. Knowing Ryu perhaps better than any manager in baseball, Roberts clearly has a different plan in place this time around.
When the left-hander takes the mound in Cleveland, he will become the first Dodgers pitcher to start in an All-Star Game since Zack Greinke in 2015. That year, the now-Arizona Diamondbacks ace allowed one run in two innings pitched and struck out four batters.
In what was his final start of the first half against the San Diego Padres on Independence Day, Ryu dominated in accustomed fashion. Over six shutout innings, he allowed just three hits and three walks while recording five strikeouts.
The early favorite for NL Cy Young Award honors, Ryu currently leads the league in wins (10), ERA (1.73), ERA+ (242), WHIP (0.91), walks per nine innings (0.8) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (9.9). He has already accumulated a career-high 3.7 WAR on the year (Baseball-Reference).
In 17 starts this season, Ryu has additionally posted a superb 2.89 FIP while tallying 99 strikeouts against 10 walks in 109 innings of work.