“As long as Toronto sticks to the 6 starting rotation,”
Toronto Blue Jays Ryu Hyun-jin started the 2023 major league home match against the Baltimore Orioles held at the Rogers Center in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on the 2nd (hereinafter Korean time) He recorded 80 pitches, 9 hits (1 home run), 3 strikeouts, 1 walk and 4 runs (4 earned) in 5 innings last year. He produced not bad results considering his hiatus of more than a year, but returning to Ryu Hyun-jin was a yoke of defeat.
Ryu Hyun-jin, who underwent Tommy John surgery last season and had a long period of rehabilitation, started earnestly starting last month to return to the major leagues. Starting as a rookie, Hyun-jin Ryu climbed the mound four times in the minor leagues from single A to triple A, recording 16 strikeouts and 4 runs (4 earned) in 18 innings, 2 wins and an undefeated ERA of 2.00, all preparing to return to the big leagues. Done.
Ryu Hyun-jin was originally expected to return as a starting match against the Los Angeles Angels at the end of last month, but Toronto decided to pitch Ryu Hyun-jin after one more inspection through a simulation game, and took the mound against Baltimore on the 2nd. Ryu Hyun-jin has been very strong against Baltimore. He has been consistently good enough to record 5 wins and 1 loss with an ERA of 4.35 in 9 head-to-head matches.
But today’s match was a little different. Since last year, the potential of promising players has exploded, and Baltimore, which is running first in the American League East Division this year, beat Ryu Hyun-jin, who is in a comeback match. Because of this, the result of Ryu Hyun-jin’s return to the major league mound after 426 days was not bad, but the process was inevitably left with regret.
On this day, Ryu Hyun-jin allowed a total of 9 hits, 5 of which were connected to long hits. He caught the lead batter only once in the process of getting to the mound through the sixth inning. Not all of them were connected with hits, but in particular, 10 hard contact balls with a batting speed of 95 miles (about 152.8 km) or more occurred. Among the batted balls hit by Ryu Hyun-jin, the fastest was a whopping 110.3 miles (approximately 177.5 km).
The saddest scene was episode 6. Ryu Hyun-jin, who climbed the mound with no limit on the number of pitches, recorded 3 runs in 5 innings while maintaining an economical pitch count, and stood on the mound in the 6th inning. However, the 77.4 mile (approximately 124.6 km) changeup on the 5th pitch thrown to Gunner Henderson became a misfire driven to the middle of the strike zone, and a solo home run that went over the right wall and served as a decisive opportunity for Ryu Hyun-jin to go down the mound.
Nevertheless, the result of 5 runs in 5 innings was obviously encouraging. Ryu Hyun-jin recorded one or two runs in a row and showed the pitch with the least run even in a shaky situation. In particular, he continued to send out runners in the 3rd and 4th innings, but tied up Baltimore’s hard hitting line, which is running first in the Eastern District, and ended the inning in the 5th inning by blocking a self-inflicted crisis with a hit-walk. It was still an area where crisis management skills stood out.
Overall, the ratings weren’t bad. Canada’s ‘Toronto Sun’ said, “Toronto did not expect Ryu Hyun-jin’s long-awaited return to the major league mound, the version of the final candidate for the Cy Young Award. What I hoped for was the mental victory of completing the first mission.”
“The Toronto Sun” said, “The pleasant moments related to the return of the left-hander in Korea were buried in Baltimore’s firepower.” He was warmly welcomed by 40,691 spectators and colleagues.”
Colleagues also smiled at Hyun-jin Ryu’s return. ‘Hope for Hyun-jin Ryu’ Alec Manoa said, “Everyone is asking if he was surprised that Hyun-jin Ryu came back so quickly from Tommy John surgery. He always works hard and has a really good routine.” He welcomed his return, and coach John Schneider also expressed satisfaction, saying, “I think Ryu Hyun-jin is continuing to improve. I am happy that he returned and contributed to the team.”안전놀이터
‘Toronto Sun’ predicted, “As long as Toronto sticks to the 6 starting rotation, Ryu Hyun-jin will continue to play for a long time. And he will not be evaluated fairly until he is given at least a few starting opportunities.” Even if Ryu Hyun-jin is sluggish for the time being, ‘a year or more of hiatus’ can serve as a shield, but it means that he may be separated from the starting lineup after the 6th starting system is over.
The homework left by Ryu Hyun-jin in the first appearance was to increase the speed that fell and reduce the rate of hitting. Will Ryu Hyun-jin be able to prove his worth by removing the tag of ‘6 selections’ before his death’s 17th consecutive game is over.