Toronto Blue Jays’ “Korean Monster” Ryu Hyun-jin, 36, is showing how to survive in the U.S. Major League Baseball since his return.
Ryu Hyun-jin started the game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado, on Sunday (Feb. 2), allowing two runs on four hits (one home run) and two walks while striking out three in five innings of work.
Toronto went on to win 13-9. The bullpen struggles cost Ryu the win, but he’s been getting rave reviews with each outing. He took a loss in Baltimore on May 2 in his return, allowing four runs in five innings, but hasn’t lost since.
In his second start back, he pitched four scoreless innings against Cleveland. He was hit by a pitch and was unable to continue. Luckily, he avoided any major injuries and earned a win in three consecutive starts last month, from April 14 against the Chicago Cubs to April 27 against Cleveland.
Today at Coors Field, he tried to extend that streak to four games. I got hit by a two-run homer, but that was it. At Coors Field, a hitter-friendly ballpark dubbed “the graveyard of pitchers,” Hyun-jin Ryu kept the Colorado offense in check with his precise delivery.
The Toronto Blue Jays’ Ryu’s outing at Coors Field prompted Canadian outlet Sportsnet to write, “Ryu’s five innings of two-run ball at Coors Field is the equivalent of a seven-inning no-hitter (at any other ballpark).”
In fact, Ryu hasn’t been great at Coors Field in the past. At the “hitter-friendly ballpark” and “pitcher’s graveyard” located 1,600 meters above sea level, Ryu is 1-4 with a 7.09 ERA in six games (21 earned runs in 26⅔ innings). He has given up eight home runs at Coors Field alone.
But Ryu overcame it. The game also featured one of the more unfortunate umpire calls of the day. With one out in the fourth inning and Hunter Goodman on base, Ryu’s sixth pitch, an 88.8-mph four-seam fastball, was in the strike zone. But the umpire didn’t budge. A strike was called for a double play. Still, Ryu didn’t waver.
Ryu’s four-seam fastball topped out at 90.1 mph (145 km/h) and averaged 87.9 mph (141.5 km/h). But his velocity wasn’t the point; his real weapon was his breaking ball.
Even in his prime, he wasn’t a fireballer who threw over 150 kilometers per hour. Rather, he’s a pitcher who can hit the top, bottom, left and right corners of the plate, and has one of the most sophisticated pitches in the major leagues.온라인카지노
He won 14 games in his rookie season with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2013 and went 14-7 in his second season, solidifying his place in the big leagues.
He also has a changeup, curveball, and other pitches that make hitters miss. He’s also an excellent pitcher who can control both his strength and tempo.
Ryu pitched five innings of two-run ball (no earned runs) against Cincinnati on April 21, and MLB.com called it “a reminder of what Ryu is capable of at his best,” adding, “Ryu didn’t throw any ‘wow’ pitches, but he used smart pitches to keep hitters off balance.”
It doesn’t matter how fast you can throw a ball, if you can’t put it in the strike zone, it doesn’t matter. This is true not only in the Major Leagues, but also in the KBO. Ryu has proven that he can compete in the big leagues with the best of them.