Two days before making his season debut, Los Angeles Dodgers' Korean pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin said Tuesday he will likely be as nervous as he had been before his first major league start.
The left-hander, who underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his pitching shoulder in May last year, is scheduled to start against the San Diego Padres at home on Thursday.
(Yonhap)
It will be Ryu's first major league appearance since Game 3 of the National League Division Series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Oct. 6, 2014.
Speaking to Korean reporters at Dodger Stadium before LA took on the Baltimore Orioles, Ryu said he's hoping to stay healthy the rest of the season.
"I had no idea it had been 640 days (since my last start)," Ryu said. "I guess the team felt I was ready to pitch in the big leagues. I think I will be pretty nervous on the game day, maybe as much as I'd been in my major league debut in 2013."
Ryu made eight minor league rehab starts before getting the big league nod. He experienced some setbacks along the way, first with some shoulder issues and then a groin injury.
Ryu said as long as he avoids further injuries, he should be able to match his old fastball velocity -- the low 90s in miles per hour on average.
"Be in breaking balls or fastballs, I am feeling pretty good," he said. "In rehab appearances, my command wasn't that bad and I didn't issue a lot of walks. I am not that concerned about command."
Ryu's last minor league start was Friday and he will have had five days off before facing the Padres, one more day than what starters usually have in the majors. Ryu said it will benefit both himself and the club to have an extra day of rest out of the gate, and he will likely return to the regular, four-day rest, from here on.
Ryu is 4-0 in five career starts against the Padres and has a 0.84 ERA in 32 1/3 innings, with 32 strikeouts against five walks.
"Nothing is set in stone as far as the innings or the number of pitches (against the Padres), but I think I may throw around 90 pitches," he said. "More so than trying to prove myself, the top priority is to stay healthy. If I don't get hurt, then I can definitely pitch like I did in the past."
Ryu is the first player to make the jump from the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) to the majors via posting. He won 14 games in each of his first two seasons of 2013 and 2014.
Ryu signed a six-year, $36 million deal before the 2013 season. He is signed through 2018 but can opt out in 2017 if he pitches 750 innings combined from 2013 to 2017. He's sitting at 344 innings. (Yonhap)