Former Dodgers Cy Young Award Finalist Playing With Hyeseong Kim in WBC

Jul 26, 2019; Washington, DC, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu (99) delivers pitch in the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Team rosters for the 2026 World Baseball Classic were officially unveiled last week, which confirmed the Los Angeles Dodgers as having five participants.

That group comprised of Edwin Díaz (Puerto Rico), Hyeseong Kim (Korea), Shohei Ohtani (Japan), Will Smith (United States) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Japan). Also from the Dodgers organization, prospect Antonio Knowles (Great Britain) is playing in the WBC. Plus, the now-retired Clayton Kershaw is going to be teammates with Smith on Team USA.

Meanwhile, there also was a bit of a surprise inclusion with the South Korean team that is going to see Kim playing alongside former Dodgers starter Hyun Jin Ryu.

The two have prior ties as Ryu was among the players Kim sought advice from prior to his rookie season with the Dodgers. He also spoke with Chan Ho Park, who was the first Korean-born player in MLB history.

“They told me to eat well,” Kim said of what Park and Ryu told him.

Kim also said he grew up watching Park and Ryu play professionally, and they had key roles in his exposure to the Dodgers while still in South Korea.

Hyun Jin Ryu returns to WBC

Ryu, now 38 years old, last participated in a World Baseball Classic in 2009. Overall, it's his first time pitching for the Korean national team since the 2010 Asian Games.

The left-hander made his MLB debut with the Dodgers in 2013 and spent six years with the team. During that time Ryu went 54-33 with a 2.98 ERA, 3.32 FIP and 1.16 WHIP in 126 games (125 starts).

Ryu's career accomplishments include an All-Star selection in 2019, and finishing as a Cy Young Award finalist that year and in 2020 as well. Ryu's second time as a Cy Young finalist came in his first season with the Toronto Blue Jays.

He pitched for Toronto through the 2023 season, but made just 11 starts that year.

In February 2024, he signed an eight-year, 17 billion won ($12.8 million) contract with the Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Organization to return to his native South Korea. Ryu had previously pitched for the Eagles from 2006-12.

Ryu's contract included the most guaranteed money ever for a KBO player and was the longest in league history. He's coming off a 9-7 record and 3.23 ERA across 26 starts for the Eagles last year.

Should Ryu finish out the contract, he will be 44 and set a record as the oldest player in KBO history.