Published : Nov. 2, 2017 - 14:48
All Ryu Hyun-jin could do was to watch, as his Los Angeles Dodgers lose to the Houston Astros 5-1 in Game 7 of the World Series at home.
In fact, the South Korean left-hander did nothing but watch during the Dodgers' postseason run.
The Dodgers' loss at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Wednesday (local time) ended their 2017 season, and Ryu never made a postseason appearance.
After going 5-9 with a 3.77 ERA in 25 appearances in the regular season, Ryu was left off the roster in all stages of the postseason, from the National League Division Series all the way to the World Series.
Ryu was the odd-man out as manager Dave Roberts elected to go with a four-man rotation of Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill, Yu Darvish and Alex Wood. Kenta Maeda, who, like Ryu, spent the majority of the regular season in the rotation, moved to the bullpen for the postseason.
In this Associated Press file photo taken on Sept. 29, 2017, Ryu Hyun-jin of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws a pitch against the Colorado Rockies in the bottom of the first inning at Coors Field in Denver. (Yonhap)
This was Ryu's first full season since 2014. His entire 2015 season was wiped out due to shoulder surgery. He made one start in 2016 before getting shut down with elbow issues.
In an up-and-down year, Ryu enjoyed a much better second half than the first half. He was 3-6 with a 4.21 ERA at the break, but went 2-3 with a 3.17 ERA in the latter half. At one point, Ryu boasted the best second-half ERA on the Dodgers.
But he cost himself a chance to make the postseason rotation with some shaky outings in September. He was 0-2 with a 4.20 ERA over his final four starts, during which he gave up three home runs in 15 innings.
Ryu also wasn't an option in the bullpen because, following his shoulder operation, Ryu now needs a lengthy pregame routine to get ready to pitch.
Ryu pitched in a simulated game in late October but never got a chance to pitch in the World Series.
Right-hander Kim Byung-hyun remains the only South Korean player to have won a World Series. He was the closer for the Arizona Diamondbacks when they beat the New York Yankees to capture the 2001 World Series. Kim also got a championship ring from the Boston Red Sox in 2004 even though he wasn't on the World Series roster that year. (Yonhap)