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 The 27-year-old, who has earned the third spot in the Dodgers
rotation behind Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, said he had been
able to strike up close friendships with other foreign players such
as Dominican Juan Uribe.
And not being able to understand everything that was said about him
at stadiums on the road was also a plus, he added.
“I'm not sure if I've got a lot better than before but I can
understand what other players are saying now," Ryu said at an event
for fans in Seoul on Tuesday.
"But it still make me sad that I can’t speak well. I call my
interpreter when I get frustrated."
Ryu said there were several players on the Dodgers roster who did
not speak English as their native tongue and they had gone through
the same problems he had.
"If I had been able to speak English perfectly then I might not have
been able to hang around with those players," he said.
 "I just really wanted to communicate with them, so even though my
English wasn't perfect I was able to be close with them.
"And when we go on the road, the fans use bad language but I don't
care because I don't understand them," he added with a laugh.
KOREAN DREAMS
The lefty, who has a six-year, $36 million contract with Los
Angeles, paid tribute to countryman Park Chan-ho, the first South
Korean-born player to pitch in Major League Baseball.
Park pitched for the Dodgers from 1994-2001 and also had stints with
the Yankees, Rangers, Padres, Mets, Pirates and Phillies in his
trailblazing career.
"When I was in third grade Park Chan-ho was playing in the Major
Leagues," said Ryu. "He taught me that even a Korean can be
successful in Major League Baseball, he helped me dream.
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"Park also told me that he played even when he was injured and just
endured the pain because he was the very first Korean player. I
think he played with so much responsibility.”
Ryu had his own struggles with injury last season, including one
that still makes him cringe.
“I was playing against the Atlanta Braves when suddenly I injured my
right buttock," he recalled. “I threw a few balls trying to bear the
pain but I couldn’t stand it.
"So I had to call the coach even though it was so embarrassing.”
Ryu concedes it was disheartening to get injured and watch others
take his starts, but knew he had to protect himself from longer-term
problems.
“Obviously it’s difficult when you get injured during the season,"
he added.
"But I think of it as a sign from my body to prevent me from having
another bigger injury. So I make sure I undergo rehabilitation to
get myself back into top shape.”
(Writing by Peter Rutherford; additional reporting by Kahyun Yang;
Editing by Julian Linden)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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