Dodgers, Ryu Hyun-jin headed to NLDS

Published : Oct 2, 2018 - 10:35 Updated : Oct 2, 2018 - 10:52

The Los Angeles Dodgers and their South Korean starter Ryu Hyun-jin are headed to the National League Division Series.

The Dodgers defeated the Colorado Rockies 5-2 in a tiebreaker game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Monday (local time) to determine the NL West division champions.

The two clubs finished their 162-game schedule deadlocked at 91-71, and by taking Game No. 163, the Dodgers clinched their sixth consecutive NL West title.

(Yonhap)

That sets up an NLDS showdown against the Atlanta Braves starting Thursday in LA.

The Rockies and their South Korean reliever, Oh Seung-hwan, have been relegated to the wild card game against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday at Wrigley Field in the Windy City.

The tiebreaker game was a regular season game, and teams were still allowed to carry their expanded rosters from September call-ups. The Dodgers and the Rockies haven't announced their postseason rosters yet, but both Ryu and Oh are expected to be part of their teams' playoff runs.

Ryu went 7-3 with a 1.97 ERA in 15 regular season starts, after missing three months with a groin injury. He was particularly strong down the stretch, winning his final three starts while giving up just one earned run in 19 innings.

Ryu, whose final regular season start came last Friday against the San Francisco Giants, is in line to start Game 2 of the NLDS on Friday.

Oh, who joined the Rockies from the Toronto Blue Jays in a July trade, has been rock solid in the bullpen, with a 2-0 record and a 2.53 ERA in 25 games as a Rockie. He didn't pitch in the tiebreaker game.

If both are named to the October rosters, this would be Ryu's third career postseason, and first since 2014, and Oh's first in the bigs. Oh would also become the first South Korean player to appear in playoffs in South Korea, Japan and the United States.

The Dodgers and the Rockies could meet again in the NL Championship Series. (Yonhap)