Hyun-jin Ryu will start today for Korea in the World Baseball Classic quarterfinal against Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Dominican Republic.
The DR enters Friday as sizeable favourites to win the game at -1000 on the moneyline, a number coming with an implied probability of 90.91 per cent.
Since ending his time in Toronto with the Blue Jays, Ryu has spent two seasons in the KBO, logging 297.2 innings with a 19-15 record.
Earlier in this event, Ryu tossed three innings, striking out three against Chinese Taipei in a game that ended in an extra-innings loss.
| Prop | Odds |
|---|---|
| 3+ Strikeouts | -130 |
| 4+ Strikeouts | +210 |
| 5+ Strikeouts | +540 |
| 6+ Strikeouts | +1120 |
On the flip side, Guerrero Jr. and the Dominican Republic are one of the favourites to win the tournament as we enter the knockout stage.
The DR went 4-0 in pool play, outscoring their opponents 41-11.
Guerrero Jr. and Fernando Tatis Jr. lead the team with six hits each, with Juan Soto not far behind at five.
| Featured Props | Selections (Hitters) | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Juan Soto or Junior Caminero to Hit 1+ Home Runs | Juan Soto, Junior Caminero | -150 |
| Juan Soto or Ketel Marte to Hit 1+ Home Runs | Juan Soto, Ketel Marte | -150 |
| Ketel Marte or Junior Caminero to Hit 1+ Home Runs | Ketel Marte, Junior Caminero | -125 |
| Juan Soto or Austin Wells to Hit 1+ Home Runs | Juan Soto, Austin Wells | -105 |
| Do Yeong Kim or Hyeseong Kim to Hit 1+ Home Runs | Do Yeong Kim, Hyeseong Kim | +400 |
| Do Yeong Kim or Jahmai Jones to Hit 1+ Home Runs | Do Yeong Kim, Jahmai Jones | +320 |
| Do Yeong Kim or Jung Hoo Lee to Hit 1+ Home Runs | Do Yeong Kim, Jung Hoo Lee | +420 |
| Hyeseong Kim or Jung Hoo Lee to Hit 1+ Home Runs | Hyeseong Kim, Jung Hoo Lee | +490 |
One Bet to Consider
I am going to lean on the experience of Ryu and the eagerness of the DR lineup and play First Inning Run: No at +145 on FanDuel.
These players on DR are aggressive and want to make an impact early and often. With Ryu on the mound, I can see him playing on the aggressive nature early in the game to put a zero on the board to start.
Meanwhile, the Dominican Republic sends out lefty Cristopher Sánchez. Last year in 32 starts for the Philadelphia Phillies, Sánchez had a 13-5 record with a 2.50 ERA and finished second in Cy Young voting.
I’m sure this game will break open with lots of offence at some point, I just don’t see the scoring starting in the first inning.
To quote some of my friends on Baseball X, “All we need is a simple six outs.”
