World Series: South Korean pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin bombs in historic debut
- Yanked after loading the bases in the fifth, the Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher may have blown his only chance in a World Series
Ryu Hyun-jin’s World Series debut did not go as planned.
The South Korean, who plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers, became the first ever from his country to start in a Major League Baseball final, but was pulled after 69 pitches over 4.2 innings.
Ryu allowed six hits and four runs against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, ending with an ERA of 7.71. The Red Sox won 4-2, taking a 2-0 series lead.
Ryu, 31, was pitted against David Price, a marquee pitcher who has struggled immensely in the play-offs until this season. Ryu looked respectable in his debut up until the bottom of the fifth, leaving the game after two singles and a walk loaded the bases. Replacement Ryan Madson ended up letting all the runners score before the inning ended. The Dodgers had been leading the game up until that point, their first lead of the World Series.
In a pre-game interview, speaking through a translator, Ryu admitted there was “more tension” in the Dodgers dressing room after they lost the first game of the series.