The South Korean ace of the Blue Jays won the Warren Spahn Award Monday. Thus, Ryu Hyun-jin was named the best left-hander in the MLB for the 2020 season.
The Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame gives out the award yearly to the best left-hand pitcher in Major League Baseball. They named the prize to recognize Warren Spahn, who has the most wins for a left-hander in the MLB with 363. Also, Ryu is the first Asian-born pitcher to earn the award.
In Ryu’s first season with the Toronto Blue Jays, he finished third in the AL Cy Young Award voting. In the shortened 60-year season, the South Korean ace had a 5-2 record in 12 starts. Also, he had an ERA of 2.69, 72 strikeouts, and 17 walks in 67 innings.
The Best Left-Hander in MLB
Among the qualified lefties, Ryu was second in ERA and strikeouts. According to a sports forum, he was third in wins. The South Korean ace had a great year despite the coronavirus pandemic. Thus, he earned the Warren Spahn Award.
The Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame created the award in 1999. Previous winners include Hall of Famers Randy Johnson and Clayton Kershaw. According to betting odds experts, the award also went to Cy Young Awardees CC Sabathia, David Price, Blake Snell, Dallas Keuchel, and Johan Santana.
The organizers didn’t hold the awards gala due to the coronavirus pandemic. According to sports betting sources, the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame will name the Ferguson Jenkins and Michele Smile Outstanding Student-Athlete Awards after the college baseball season in spring.
The trophy features a 2 foot 2 bronze statue of Warren Spahn and his famous windup. Randy Johnson won the inaugural Warren Spahn award. Also, he won it for the next three years for a total of four awards.
