Despite the loss of 4 wins, the local media’s praise for Ryu Hyun-jin was great.
Ryu Hyun-jin started the 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB) home game against the Boston Red Sox held at the Rogers Center in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on the 18th (Korean time) and pitched 4⅔ innings, allowing 6 hits, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts, and no runs.
Ryu Hyun-jin’s pitch count on this day was 83. Ryu Hyun-jin’s highest speed for fastballs (37) was 91.1 miles per hour (146.61 km), and his average speed was 89.1 miles per hour (143.39 km).
Breaking balls included change-ups (19), curves (13), cutters (12), and sinkers (2). Ryu Hyun-jin has continued to pitch less than 90 pitches since returning from elbow ligament joint surgery (Tommy John surgery). Also, this is the second time that Ryu Hyun-jin failed to complete the 5th inning this season, following the game against the Cleveland Guardians on the 8th of last month.
Ryu Hyun-jin maintained his season record of 3 wins and 3 losses with this day’s pitching. His season ERA fell from 2.93 to 2.62.
Ryu Hyun-jin’s pitch details
Ryu Hyun-jin started well in the first inning. He disposed of lead hitter Sedan Rafaella with a fly ball to right field, and then struck out second hitter Rob Lev Snider (Kim Jeong-tae) with a missed swing. He then caught Justin Turner, his Dodgers teammate, with a fly ball to left field, creating a three-way inning.
However, starting from the second inning, the team was in danger every inning. In the top of the second inning, he allowed an infield hit to shortstop to Rafael Devers, and then gave up a double to the next batter, Adam Duvall, with a one-bound over the left outfield fence, putting him in a critical situation with no outs on second and third base.
Ryu Hyun-jin’s crisis management skills were demonstrated. Pablo Reyes was guided to a ground ball to shortstop, and Toronto shortstop Bo Bisset threw it home, putting Devers out on third base. A crisis ensued with one out and runners on first and second bases, but Trevor Story and Bobby Dalbec each caught outfield fly balls and escaped the crisis in the top of the second inning without allowing a run.
In the top of the third inning, Ryu Hyun-jin was hit by a heavy hit by leadoff hitter Liz McGuire, and then gave up a double to follow-up hitter Rafaella that missed the third base line, putting him in danger of reaching second and third base without an out. Afterwards, Ryu Hyun-jin caught Refsnyder with a fly ball to left field and then grounded Turner to third base. He gave up a walk to Devers and had the bases loaded with two outs, but ended the inning by catching Duvall with a fly ball to right field.
In the top of the 4th inning, Ryu Hyun-jin treated lead hitter Reyes with a foul fly to first base. The next batter, Story, also induced a ground ball to third base. However, Toronto third baseman Chapman missed this batted ball, resulting in one out and one on first base. After making a mistake, Ryu Hyun-jin was shaken. Dalbec was allowed a hit to left, and Story, the runner on first base, advanced to third base, putting the team in danger with one out and first and third base. Here, McGuire was hit with a double play between the shortstop, second baseman, and first baseman, ending the inning without allowing a run.
In the 5th inning, with one out, Refsnyder was allowed an infield hit. Ryu Hyun-jin caught the batted ball himself, but the irregular bounce caused the ball to slow down, and in the meantime, Refsnyder landed on first base.
In the ensuing game, with one out and runners on first base, he struck out Turner on a missed swing and then gave Devers a walk, making it 1st and 2nd bases with 2 outs. At this time, Ryu Hyun-jin had 83 pitches. In the end, coach John Schneider came out and decided to replace him. Garcia, who took over the mound, finished the inning cleanly, and Ryu Hyun-jin did not allow a run.
Afterwards, Toronto…
With two outs in the 9th inning, when Toronto was ahead 2-1, reliever Eric Swanson hit a solo home run to Devers to tie the game. However, Chapman’s game-winning hit in the bottom of the 9th inning with one out and a runner on first base resulted in a 3-2 victory.
Toronto, which has won three games in a row, recorded a season record of 83 wins and 67 losses, taking down the Texas Rangers, who lost that day, and rising back to second place in the American League wild card.
Ryu Hyun-jin’s crisis management skills were recognized
After the game, Toronto manager John Schneider explained, “The number of pitches reached their limit and we decided to substitute regardless of the inning.” He then left a favorable review, saying, “Ryu Hyun-jin went through a crisis, but overcame it well.”
In addition, Keegan Mattison, a Toronto reporter for local media MLB.com, said, “Ryu Hyun-jin allowed many hits and received defensive help, but he continued to pitch well today. With Alec Manoah out of the rotation, Ryu Hyun-jin’s value is high.” “It’s very important,” he said.
The Toronto Star commented, “Ryu Hyun-jin showed off his ability to escape a crisis. There were crises with second and third bases out with no outs in the second and third innings, but he perfectly caught the outs both times.” 먹튀검증
Reporter Thomas Hall of Yahoo Sports Canada also left a favorable review, saying, “Ryu Hyun-jin proved to be a crisis escape artist in the first three innings.”
Ryu Hyun-jin credited the team, saying, “We focused on minimizing the number of runs lost. In particular, shortstop Bo Bichette’s rain that day changed the atmosphere of the game.”
Regarding the disappointing substitution, he said, “Every game is important as we race to advance to the postseason, so we have to accept the substitution. I trusted the bench’s judgment.”