Coming off an injury-riddled 2014 season, South Korean pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin of the Los Angeles Dodgers said Tuesday he will try to stay healthier next year in Major League Baseball.
Ryu, who returned home last week after the Dodgers were eliminated from the National League Division Series, went 14-7 with a 3.38 ERA in his second big league season.
These numbers easily could have been better had he avoided three trips to the disabled list.
Ryu matched the win total from his rookie season in 2013 despite making four fewer starts, 30 to 26. His ERA this year was slightly higher compared to 2013, when he finished with 3.00.
Ryu Hyun-jin poses during a press conference on Tuesday. (Yonhap)
Ryu said he hopes to pitch in more games next year. “I’ve had three injuries this year, but at least I didn’t miss as much time as some other players did,” Ryu said at a press conference in Seoul. “I don’t want to go through the same fate next season. I think I am going to have to take care of my body better in the winter. I will start my offseason training earlier than before and focus on preventing injuries.”
Ryu had a strong start to 2014 and enjoyed four scoreless outings out of his first five appearances. Then after a start on April 27, Ryu came down with left shoulder inflammation and was placed on the disabled list for the first time in his big league career. He didn’t start again until May 21.
In all, he pitched 152 innings this year, 40 fewer innings than a year ago.
“This year, considering the number of starts I made, I didn’t pitch a lot of innings,” Ryu said. “My objective is to pitch 200 innings next year. I must avoid injuries and pitch deep into games.”
In addition to staying healthy, Ryu said the key will be to throw all of his pitches with good command. He also insisted he won’t add any new pitch to his arsenal but will try to polish up his changeup, long his bread and butter.
“I threw a lot of sliders in the second half. I changed my grip and also threw it at different speeds,” he said.
“I think I will be fine if I can keep throwing my slider the way I have been. But my changeup wasn’t as sharp this year as last year, and I will try to address that next season.” (Yonhap)
