Kim Hyun-soo pulls off three hits and a walk for the Orioles

While Korean major league pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin of the Los Angeles Dodgers is preparing for his comeback, another Korean major leaguer Kim Hyun-soo is solidifying his footing in the Baltimore Orioles, earning recognition from the team manager.

Rehabilitating from his shoulder operation, Ryu pitched on Wednesday for the third time this season for the Oklahoma City Dodgers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the game against the Fresno Grizzlies (Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros), held at Chukchansi Park in California, Ryu went onto the mound as a starting pitcher. The Korean pitcher allowed four hits but managed to keep a clean sheet for four innings, striking out three batters.

Having thrown 22 and 44 balls, respectively, in the two previous Single-A matches, Ryun Hyun-jin recovered his form to an encouraging extent, subduing the Triple-A batters with 55 balls. Aside from his fastball, Ryu threw more breaking balls than usual including curve balls and change-up, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, “His accuracy was encouraging, and breaking balls were also good. He will come back in five days.” It is expected that Ryu will join his team again as early as June 11.

Making the starting roster for the first time in six games, Kim Hyun-soo of the Baltimore Orioles also showed great performance. As the ninth hitter and left fielder, Kim pulled off three hits and one four balls in three at bats in an away game in Houston. It was his first time to double two-base hits in a single game since his Big League debut, and the batting average also rose from 0.379 to 0.438. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said that Kim will be included in the starting line-up for the upcoming match against the Houston Astros on May 27. This marks the first time that Kim Hyun-soo has been included in the starting roster for second consecutive games this season.

강홍구기자 windup@donga.com