Ryu Hyun-jin (36) won 3 wins this season, breaking the Toronto Blue Jays’ 3-game losing streak. Two of the three wins following his return from injury kept his fall baseball hopes alive with wins that ended the team’s three-game losing streak. 

Ryu Hyun-jin started the 2023 major league home game against the Cleveland Guardians at the Rogers Center in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on the 27th (Korean time), fighting back with 4 hits (2 homers) in 5 innings, no walks, 5 strikeouts and 3 runs (2 earned). Toronto won 8-3. 

Ryu Hyun-jin, who recently became a winning pitcher in three consecutive games and won his third win (one loss) of the season, slightly increased his ERA from 1.89 to 2.25. It was regrettable that he was judged with no bases loaded due to consecutive defensive errors in the 6th inning, but he threw efficient pitches with a total of 70 pitches.

The highest speed was 90.8 miles (146.1 km), which was not fast, but the lowest speed was 64.6 miles (104 km), and he struck out on a swing with a slow curve. Four-seam fastball, changeup, curve, and cutter were all used as decisive pitches for command, ball combination, and speed. Adjustment shined. It was pitching like a baseball guru. 

Thanks to Ryu Hyun-jin’s good pitching, Toronto also broke its recent three-game losing streak, recorded 71 wins and 59 losses, and continued its fall baseball hopes by finishing 4th in the American League (AL) wild card. Ryu Hyun-jin has already won twice, breaking the team’s three-game losing streak following the Chicago Cubs match on the 14th. 

Up to the 104km slow curve, amazing command… Perfect except for 2 home runs

In the first inning, Ryu Hyun-jin, who started by catching Cleveland No. 1 Cole Calhoun on a ground ball, allowed Jose Ramirez to take the lead by giving up a solo home run. The 87.7 mile (141.1 km) four-seam fastball on the second pitch went into the middle with a high miss. Ramirez’s 20th home run of the season and Ryu Hyun-jin’s second home run. It was the moment when Ryu Hyun-jin’s streak of 14 consecutive innings in the last three games ended. 

However, Ryu Hyun-jin struck out the next hitter, Oscar Gonzalez, on the fourth pitch with a low 65.8 mile (105.9 km) curve. Then, he induced Ramon Loreano to throw a ball into the second base on the first pitch, ending the first inning with 11 balls. Then, the Toronto batting line also turned 3-1 with three runs, including Davis Schneider’s two-run home run, in the first inning attack. 

On the mound in the second inning with a two-point lead, Ryu Hyun-jin struck out left-handed hitter Andres Jimenez with a low outside cutter and right-handed hitter Gabriel Arias with a changeup from the outside zone on a swing. He then caught Tyler Freeman’s missed ground ball and tossed it to first base with a glove, succeeding in the first three-way offense of the day. 

In the third inning, Cam Gallagher, who led the game, allowed a double in left field. Although the bounce was tricky, third baseman Matt Chapman’s defense was disappointing. After Miles Straw’s sacrifice bunt led to Calhoun’s short fly ball to the left fielder, Hyun-Jin Ryu induced Calhoun with a short fly ball from Miles Straw’s sacrifice bunt. 

In the 4th inning, he committed a three-way offense with 8 balls. Both Zales and Loreano lost their timing due to Ryu Hyun-jin’s changeup, and both a ground ball to third base and a floating ball to center field were out. Jimenez then struck out on three pitches, but was caught off guard with a slow curve at 64.6 miles (104.0 km) outside and led to a miss. 

In the 5th inning, Ryu Hyun-jin, who struck out Arias with a 90.8 mile (146.1 km) four-seam fastball after a change-up from a full count, hit a solo home run from Freeman. The first pitch, 66.2 miles (106.5 km), was hit by Freeman with the right number of goals. Although it was the first 2 home run game of the season, Ryu Hyun-jin, who minimized runs with solo shots, met the conditions for winning 2 runs in 5 innings by inducing Gallagher to a shortstop grounder and Straw to a pitcher grounder. 

A series of mistakes, I was beaten with no bases, but… The conditions for winning the starting lineup that I managed to keep

Ryu Hyun-jin, who had only 60 pitches until the 5th inning, got on the mound in the 6th inning as well. However, after a full count match with lead hitter Calhoun, he gave up a right-handed hit, then induced Ramirez to ground to third base, but an error came out. A catch error by third baseman Chapman. Although the batted ball speed was 106 miles (170.6 km) faster, he missed the ball that came from the front. If it was normal play, it should have been a double hit. 온라인바카라

Another mistake broke out on the 1st and 2nd bases, which continued unscathed. Against Gonzalez, Ryu Hyun-jin threw a low changeup in the first pitch and guided the shortstop ground ball well. However, shortstop Santiago Espinal missed the ball while trying to catch it with his backhand. The bases were safely loaded in an instant as the batted ball, which could catch at least the first base runner out or even double death, became an error again. 

Although Ryu Hyun-jin had only 70 pitches, the Toronto bench decided to replace the pitcher. Ryu Hyun-jin went down and right-hander Garcia came up as a relief. In a situation where the defense was unstable, it was intended to suppress the run by Garcia, who has excellent strikeout ability, instead of Ryu Hyun-jin, who is good at inducing grounders. 

Garcia threw a hit ball to Loreano and conceded a run. Ryu Hyun-jin’s run also added 1 unearned point to 3 points, and the crisis with the bases loaded safely continued. Garcia’s strikeout ability shined here. Jimenez, Arias, and Freeman struck out 3 consecutive misses and finished the 6th inning without additional runs, keeping Ryu Hyun-jin’s 3-win requirement. 

Ryu Hyun-jin’s total number of pitches that day was 70, with 49 strikes and 21 balls. In addition to four-seam fastballs (29) with a maximum of 90.8 miles (146.1 km) and an average of 88.2 miles (141.9 km), he also used changeups (19), curves (13), and cutters (9). He was useful enough to strike out with all four pitches. 

Rookie Schneider, 3 hits, 3 RBIs, including a home run, Toronto batting line that exploded vigorously

The Toronto defense was uneasy, but the batting line exploded vigorously. At the beginning of the first inning, Ryu Hyun-jin gave up the first run, but at the end of the first inning, Witt Merrifield’s double and Bo Bisset’s timely hit tied the score, and Schneider’s two-run four in the left center turned the game around 3-1. Schneider’s fourth home run of the season. 

In the fourth inning, starting with Schneider’s left double, Danny Jansen and Matt Chapman’s consecutive hits and Espinal’s sacrifice fly added two runs. In the 7th inning, which was chased by 5-3, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s hit, George Springer’s double, and Schneider’s timely left-handed hit from second and third base, and Basho’s two RBI’s right-handed hit made a wedge. 

Rookie Schneider led the Toronto lineup with 3 hits, 3 RBIs, 3 runs and 1 walk, including a home run. Bisset also played an active role with a multi-hit with 2 hits and 1 RBI in 5 at-bats. 

The Toronto bullpen was also stable. After Ryu Hyun-jin went down, Garcia (1 inning), Eric Swanson (⅓ innings), Tim Maija (⅔ innings), and Trevor Richards (2 innings) combined for 4 scoreless innings to keep the lead. Garcia recorded the 14th hold of the season, Swanson recorded the 28th hold, and Maiza recorded the 21st hold. 

Toronto, which recently ended its three-game losing streak, saved its hopes for fall baseball with a record of 71-59, 3rd in the AL Eastern Division and 4th in the Wild Card. Cleveland went 61-69.