When Clayton Kershaw was formally ruled out to start Opening Day of the 2019 season, snapping his franchise-record streak of taking the ball in a season opener, the Los Angeles Dodgers were down to deciding between Rich Hill and Hyun-Jin Ryu.
Hill’s MCL strain left manager Dave Roberts with no other choice but to start Ryu. The left-hander filled in admirably, throwing six innings of one-run ball against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
That wound up serving as a springboard for what’s been an impressive, if not dominant, season thus far for Ryu. He was particularly effective throughout the month of May, capped off with 7.