Dodgers left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu didn't knock anybody's socks off in his major-league debut Tuesday against the Giants, but he didn't get knocked around either. The 10 hits he allowed in 6 1/3 innings might lead you to believe otherwise, but none of the hits were for extra bases.
What I like most is that he didn't issue a single walk. Control problems are almost expected for pitchers transitioning from Japan, where the balls are a different size and hitters typically have a different approach, so with no other basis of comparison, I expected the same for a pitcher from Korea. Just like in spring training, though, Ryu threw strikes. He also demonstrated a varied enough arsenal, complete with a looping, 65-mph curveball to convince me the strikeouts will continue.
I'm not saying he won't have his bumps in the road, but I'm more optimistic about him now than I was before this start, and I'm making sure he doesn't go unowned in any of my leagues.