LOS ANGELES — Madison Bumgarner pitched two-hit ball over eight innings, giving the San Francisco Giants a 3-0 win against the Dodgers while overshadowing the major league debut of high-priced Los Angeles pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu (He-YUN Jin Ree-YOO) on Tuesday night.
Bumgarner (1-0) struck out six and walked none in the second straight gem at Dodger Stadium. The only hits were a pair of doubles by Andre Ethier and A.J. Ellis. Left-hander Clayton Kershaw homered and pitched a four-hit shutout in the Dodgers’ 4-0 victory on opening day Monday.
Sergio Romo pitched a perfect ninth to earn his first save of the season.
Ryu’s debut helped draw 45,431 fans to see the left-hander who signed a $36 million, six-year deal with the team in December, making him the first player to go directly from the Korea Baseball Organization to the U.S. major leagues.
Ryu (0-1) gave up three runs — one earned — and 10 hits in 6 1/3 innings, struck out five and walked none. He threw 80 pitches.
The defending World Series champion Giants took a 3-0 lead in the seventh with two unearned runs. Ronald Belisario relieved Ryu with one out and runners at second and third. The infield was pulled in for Bumgarner, who hit a ground ball to shortstop.
Justin Sellers, playing in place of injured Hanley Ramirez, charged the ball and made a hurried throw past catcher A.J. Ellis for his second error of the inning. That allowed Andres Torres to score behind Joaquin Arias — who reached on Sellers’ first throwing error.
The Giants scored their first run on three consecutive one-out hits, including Arias’ RBI single.
The game was televised live in South Korea, where it began at 11 a.m. local time on Wednesday.
Ryu gave up just two fly-ball outs and worked hard to get out of other jams. The Dodgers’ defense helped him, too, turning three double plays. He retired the side in the sixth.
Manager Don Mattingly came to the mound with a translator after Ryu allowed consecutive hits to open the seventh. After a brief conversation, Ryu responded by getting Torres to ground out. However, Mattingly immediately returned to remove him and Ryu walked off the field to loud applause.
However, the crowd booed when Ryu didn’t run out a ground ball hard in the sixth.
The Dodgers paid $25.7 million for the right to negotiate with Ryu. If they hadn’t reached a deal by the deadline, he would have returned to the KBO’s Hanwha Eagles and the Dodgers would have been refunded the posting fee they paid for exclusive rights to negotiate with the 26-year-old pitcher.
Ryu had already pitched at Dodger Stadium during the 2009 World Baseball Classic, when South Korea won a silver medal.
Notes: The Dodgers turned four double plays in the game. … Ryu was 98-52 with a 2.80 ERA in 190 career games over seven seasons in the KBO. He won the league’s strikeout title — his fifth — last season — with 210 Ks in 182 2/3 innings. … Ryu is the fourth South Korean to play for the team. … Kershaw, who had seven Ks on Monday, has pledged $500 per strikeout this year to his fundraising efforts for three different charities. … All-Star guard Chris Paul of the Clippers threw a first-pitch strike to Kemp. Then it was 3-year-old Chris II’s turn. Kemp shortened up the distance considerably and the younger Paul tossed the ball to him. Cued by his dad, little Chris told the crowd, “It’s time for Dodger baseball.”
