| Hyun-jin Ryu Quick Info | |
|---|---|
| Height | 6 ft 3 in |
| Weight | 113 kg |
| Date of Birth | March 25, 1987 |
| Zodiac Sign | Aries |
| Spouse | Bae Ji-hyun |
Hyun-jin Ryu is a South Korean professional baseball player who has represented, as a pitcher, the Los Angeles Dodgers (2013–2014, 2016–2019) and the Toronto Blue Jays (2020–Present) in Major League Baseball (MLB). In 2019, he was included in the MLB‘s annual ‘All-Star’ game. During that season, he also led the MLB in earned run average (ERA) and had achieved an ERA of 1.26 through his first 14 starts, the lowest by a Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher since the statistic became official in 1912. Previously, he had turned out for Hanwha Eagles (2006–2012) in the KBO League, the top-tier baseball league in South Korea. Throughout his stint with the team (2006–2012), he was never excluded from the KBO‘s annual ‘All-Star’ game. In 2006, he was named the league’s ‘MVP’ (Most Valuable Player) and was also honored with the ‘KBO Rookie of the Year’ award. In the 2006 and 2010 seasons, he won the ‘Golden Glove Award’ (presented annually by the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) to the best overall player at each position in the KBO League). He was also the league leader in strikeouts 5 times (2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012) and ERA twice (2006, 2010). At the international level, representing South Korea, he won the ‘Gold’ medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games. He had clinched the ‘Silver’ medal at the 2005 Incheon Asian Junior Baseball Championship, the 2007 Taichung Asian Baseball Championship, the 2008 Taichung & Douliou Final Olympic Qualification Tournament, and the 2009 Los Angeles World Baseball Classic (1 of the 2 main senior international baseball tournaments sanctioned by the WBSC (World Baseball Softball Confederation), but the only one which grants the winner the title of ‘World Champion’). He had also secured the ‘Bronze’ medal at the 2006 Doha Asian Games.
Born Name
Hyun-jin Ryu
Nick Name
Monster
Sun Sign
Aries
Born Place
Incheon, South Korea
Residence
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Nationality
Education
Hyun-jin Ryu had attended Dongsan High School in his hometown of Incheon. In the early 2010s, it was reported that he was pursuing a master’s degree in community physical education at Daejeon University, a private university located in Daejeon, South Korea’s fifth-largest metropolis.
Occupation
Professional Baseball Player
Family
- Father – Jae-cheon Ryu
- Mother – Seung-soon Park
- Siblings – Hyun-soo (Brother)
Batting
Right-Handed
Throwing
Left-Handed
Positions Played
Pitcher
Jersey Number
99 – Hanwha Eagles, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays
Net Worth
Hyun-jin Ryu’s net worth had been $35 million according to CelebrityNetWorth.com.
Build
Athletic
Height
6 ft 3 in or 190.5 cm
Weight
113 kg or 249 lbs
Girlfriend / Spouse
Hyun-jin Ryu has dated –
- Bae Ji-hyun (2018–Present) – Hyun-jin Ryu got married to Korean sports reporter Bae Ji-hyun on January 5, 2018. The wedding ceremony was officiated by Kim In-sik who was Hyun-jin Ryu’s first manager at the Hanwha Eagles. The couple has a daughter together (b. May 17, 2020). On July 24, 2022, it was announced that Bae Ji-hyun was pregnant with the couple’s 2nd child.
Race / Ethnicity
Asian
He is of Korean descent.
Hair Color
Black
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Toned physique
- Side-parted hair
- Clean-shaven look
Hyun-jin Ryu Facts
- When Hyun-jin Ryu was about 10 years old, his father bought him a lefthander’s glove that goes on the right hand. Thereafter, Hyun-jin Ryu learned to pitch with his left hand even though he continued to bat right-handed.
- Hyun-jin Ryu is more or less a cult figure in South Korea and is so revered there that no Hanwha Eagles player has donned his number 99 jersey since he left the team in 2012.
- In 2013, when he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers, he became the first player from the Korea Baseball Organization to join a team in Major League Baseball via the posting system (a complex player transfer system that operates between these 2 leagues).
- In October 2018, he became the first Korean pitcher to start in a World Series (the annual championship series of Major League Baseball) game when he started in Game 2 of the 2018 World Series.
Featured Image by Hyun-jin Ryu / Instagram
