South Korean left-hander Ryu Hyun-jin will be the starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday in their Major League Baseball season opener against Arizona, the club announced Friday. The injury-hit Dodgers have issues with pitchers Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler and Rich Hill so Ryu, who turns 32 on Monday, offers stability for a debut in front of home supporters. "It's definitely special, my first time in an Opening Day since I got to the States," said Ryu, who said he handled opening-day duties four or five times while playing in South Korea.