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Phillies: 5 Blue Jays they’ll hate facing in interleague play

By Bryce Turner

Ken Giles #51 of the Toronto Blue Jays (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
Ken Giles #51 of the Toronto Blue Jays (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /
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DUNEDIN, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 27: Hyun-Jin Ryu #99 of the Toronto Blue Jays delivers a pitch in the first inning during the spring training game against the Minnesota Twins at TD Ballpark on February 27, 2020 in Dunedin, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
DUNEDIN, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 27: Hyun-Jin Ryu #99 of the Toronto Blue Jays delivers a pitch in the first inning during the spring training game against the Minnesota Twins at TD Ballpark on February 27, 2020 in Dunedin, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

Hyun-Jin Ryu

On the pitching side, an already familiar face to National League teams is starter Hyun-Jin Ryu, who signed as a free agent this past off-season with the Blue Jays.

Ryu spent his first six seasons in the MLB with the Los Angeles Dodgers, following time in the Korean Baseball Organization.

His last two seasons with the Dodgers were the most impressive. In 2018, limited to 15 games due to injury, he recorded a 7-3 record, 1.97 ERA and 1.008 WHIP.

In 2019, Ryu had his best season by far, recording an MLB-leading 2.32 ERA, along with a 14-5 record and 1.007 WHIP. He pitched a complete game shutout in May, where he gave up only four hits, before being named the starter for his first All-Star game and later becoming a Cy Young finalist, finishing second to Jacob deGrom.

Ryu did not face the Phillies last season, but holds a 1-0 record, 2.45 ERA and 1.473 WHIP against the team in three career games. Five of the Phillies’ projected starting hitters have faced Ryu, with Didi Gregorius, Bryce Harper, Andrew McCutchen, J.T. Realmuto and Jean Segura combining for seven hits, two home runs and eight RBI in 34 at-bats against the left-hander.

The Phillies haven’t faced Ryu since 2017, with both sides getting better the last two seasons. There are some Phillies starters and bench players who’ve never faced Ryu, so the potential for more games against Ryu could be a challenge for the Phillies this year.

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