“I’m so happy right now.”
Ryu Hyun-jin finally smiled. A win after 466 days, and the Toronto Blue Jays snapped a three-game losing streak. Ryu played a big role.
Ryu started the 2023 Major League Baseball home game against the Chicago Cubs at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on Sept. 14 (ET) and pitched five innings of two-hit ball with two walks and three strikeouts to earn his first win of the season.
Ryu’s dominance was followed by a victory for Toronto. An 11-4 victory over the Cubs snapped a three-game losing streak.
Ryu’s shoulders were heavy. Toronto had been on a 17-game road trip leading up to this game. The team had been on a losing streak, and it was a difficult game for them to play, as they needed to make a statement about their return to the major leagues.
The road to his first win wasn’t easy, but ‘Ryu was Ryu was Ryu’
The road to Ryu’s first win was a difficult one, as he made his first major league start in a year and two months against the Baltimore Orioles on April 2. He took the loss, giving up four runs on nine hits in five innings. Prior to his return, Ryu was 5-1 with a 4.35 ERA in nine career starts against Baltimore. This season, however, the Orioles have been different. Not only were they first in the league, but they were in the top half of most offensive metrics.
It was a disappointment. Toronto manager John Schneider said at the time, “It’s very commendable that he pitched five-plus innings in his comeback,” and that he was “excited for what’s to come.”
In his second start, on August 8, Ryu threw a four-inning no-hitter against Cleveland. He pitched a perfect game until the third inning. However, the victory didn’t last long as he was hit by a hard hit ball to the knee in the fourth inning. Luckily, he was diagnosed with a simple bruise and returned to the mound to pick up his first win of the day.
Ryu’s performance stunned the nation
On the same day, American outlet FantasyPro called Ryu’s first win “amazing”. “He gave up just two hits and two walks, which was his best outing yet,” he said, adding that his ERA dropped to 2.57 and his WHIP to 1.07 was key to Toronto’s victory.
“Even at 36 years old, Ryu’s stuff defied his age,” said the Toronto Star, “and it wasn’t easy. After Tommy John surgery (elbow ligament reconstruction), it takes a long time to get back to form. But Toronto ran out of time. We needed Ryu to pitch in the wild-card race to determine the final postseason berth,” said Ryu.
“I’m sure Ryu felt very disorganized in his recent comeback game. Despite his struggles, he responded by pitching better than expected. He responded with a better-than-expected performance, and Toronto was able to snap the losing streak.”
Manager John Schneider was also full of praise for Ryu. According to the outlet, Schneider was interviewed after the game and said, “Ryu pitched an amazing game. Especially the way he handled the situation,” he said. He also said, “As a manager, I’m sorry that I didn’t give him enough time to recover. I’m grateful to Ryu for pitching so well on short notice.”
The resurgence of the ‘Korean Monster’ with more to come
We’re looking forward to seeing more of Ryu in the future. His velocity, which had been a concern, has also been put to rest, with a high of 91.1 mph (146.6 km/h) and an average of 88.4 mph (142.3 km/h). Add to that the fact that nearly half of the 86 pitches Ryu threw were changeups (24 changeups, 12 cutters, and 10 curves). It’s not the stuff he had in his prime, but it’s “as good” as he had in his prime.
The entire country was amazed at what Ryu was pitching. Most importantly, Ryu was happy with his performance. “After the surgery, I finally found my old self. I’m thrilled that I was able to bring the team a victory in addition to my personal victory,” he said, adding, “I’m very happy, and to continue to feel this way, my goal is to continue to pitch for the team.”먹튀검증
With the win, Ryu also broke the record for the oldest start by a Korean big leaguer at 36 years, 4 months, and 20 days. The previous record was held by Park Chan-ho, who was 35 years, 10 months, and 13 days old when he won his first start against the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 13, 2009 (6 innings, 7 hits, 2 runs).
Ryu’s next start will likely be against the Cincinnati Reds on April 20 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio, depending on the starting rotation.