The Blue Jays introduced left-hander pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu in a news conference at Rogers Centre. Ryu didn't take long to try and make friends north of the border.
"Hello Canada! Bonjour!" Ryu said to launch the news conference.
"I'm happy to be here and I'm gonna make the Toronto Blue Jays proud. Thank you."
Ryu, who signed a four-year, $80 million contract as a free agent, led the Majors with a 2.32 ERA last season and finished second in NL Cy Young voting, going 14-5 while pitching 182 2/3 innings for the Dodgers.
"One of the things we love most about our jobs is watching on a daily and nightly basis exceptional things happening on a baseball field," Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins said. "And the more that we dug into Ryu, and spent time learning about him, the more excited we got, and the more exceptional he became to us."
"You truly are fun to watch play. We welcome you, we very much look forward to your continued success. And it is remarkable what you already have accomplished and [we] very much look forward to the success you’re going to bring to this organization, and look forward to the day that you take the mound and you’re representing two nations. Welcome to Toronto."
