Former Blue Jays ace has called it a career, retiring after World Baseball Classic

"The 38-year-old of Incheon, South Korea suited up for his national team at the 2026 World Baseball Classic and following the teams' elimination in the quarterfinals, Ryu says he has thrown his last professional pitch."

"He continued to pitch well over the next few seasons and got a chance to showcase his stuff on the world stage when he pitched for Korea at the 2009 WBC. In five games, two starts, he struck out seven batters in seven innings and gave up just two earned runs as Korea finished as the runner ups in that years tournament, losing in the finals to Japan."

"He proved right away that his stuff would play in North America, as he went 192 innings that season with 154 strikeouts, a 119 ERA+, 1.203 WHIP and finished fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting. Ryu spent six seasons with LA, accumulating a 13.9 bWAR with a 2.98 ERA in 740 innings pitched."

Hyun-Jin Ryu, a 38-year-old pitcher from Incheon, South Korea, has officially retired from professional baseball. His final appearance came while representing South Korea at the 2026 World Baseball Classic, after which the team was eliminated in the quarterfinals. Ryu's career spanned over two decades, beginning with the Hanwa Eagles in 2006 at age 19. He made his MLB debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2013 at age 26, where he spent six seasons and accumulated significant accolades including an All-Star selection in 2019. He finished his MLB career with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2023 before returning to South Korea to play with the Eagles for two final seasons.

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