Ryu Hyun-jin, 36, of the Toronto Blue Jays, was in trouble through the fifth inning of a Major League Baseball game against the Oakland Athletics in Oakland, California, on Sunday (July 7), giving up five hits and a walk.
One long ball stung, though. In the bottom of the fourth inning, with Toronto up 1-0, Carlos Perez hit a two-run homer. It wasn’t a wild pitch. It was a well-pitched fastball that the right-handed hitter hit low and away.
Ryu left the game with his team down 1-2. In the bottom of the sixth, reliever Trevor Richards gave up a three-run homer to Kevin Smith, who was called up to the majors ahead of the game.
Toronto fell to 2-5 and Ryu suffered his second loss of the season (3-2).
Smith, the game-winner, is in his third year in the majors. He is a former teammate of Hyun-jin Ryu, who made his big league debut in a Toronto uniform in 2021. He has been with Oakland since last year and has appeared in 35 games this season.
After the game, Smith shared his impressions of Ryu with local media in the United States.
“There’s a reason he’s been around for so long,” Smith said, “He’s a pitcher who can throw good strikes and get hitters out. He’s got some cool stuff of his own, like the movement on his changeup. He’s not going to overpower hitters (with his pitches), but he’s a pitcher that can put the ball on any course he wants, and when that happens, it’s going to be a tough day for the other team.”온라인카지노
Ryu’s total pitch count was 77. The game changed dramatically after Ryu left the mound. The Toronto offense, which was missing several key hitters due to injury, was unable to capitalize on Oakland’s rookie JP Sears. Sears pitched five innings of one-run ball to improve to 11-4 on the season.
Toronto is currently running a five-man starting rotation. Barring any scheduling changes, Hyun-jin Ryu will start at home against the Texas Rangers on April 13. He will likely be facing off against the league’s ace, Max Scherzer.