Ryu Hyun-jin started the 2023 Major League Baseball away game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio on the 21st (Korea Standard Time) and threw 83 pitches in five innings, becoming a winning pitcher for two consecutive games with four hits, seven strikeouts, one walk, and two runs (non- earned run).
Toronto won 10-3, and Ryu Hyun-jin won his second win (one loss) of the season. His ERA for the season was further lowered to 1.89.
After the game, the Toronto club posted an edited version of Ryu Hyun-jin’s pitching picture and strikeout video on SNS and introduced it as “Monster, Master Class.” He also wrote in Korean, “Ryu Hyun-jin’s form is crazy.” The Korean flag was attached next to the Korean alphabet.
Ryu Hyun-jin’s fastball speed was less than 90 miles. His four-seam speed was only 89.6 miles (about 144 kilometers) on the day. It was recorded in the fourth inning. For him, however, restraint was not an issue at all. He had sophisticated control and breaking balls that opposing batters couldn’t touch.
Cincinnati ‘monster rookie’ Elie de la Cruz struck out twice on Ryu Hyun-jin’s 66.2 and 66.8-mile curves. Not only De La Cruz but also Cincinnati’s batters were stuck with Ryu Hyun-jin’s speed control.
MLB.com said, “Ryu Hyun-jin is not stronger than many pitchers, and he is smart, although he is not a pitch that makes people admire him.” Read the batter’s swing. “It’s a threat to an aggressive batter,” he said.
Also, MLB.com noted Ryu Hyun-jin’s victory on the same day, saying, “Ryu Hyun-jin struck out De La Cruz with two strikes and curves of 66 miles and 67 miles.”
Ryu Hyun-jin, who underwent ligament surgery on his left elbow in June last year, is showing that he is healthy without any aftereffects of injury. He became a losing pitcher with four earned runs in five innings against Baltimore on the 2nd, his first game since his return, but continued his performance with four scoreless innings against the Cleveland Guardians on the 8th and two runs in five innings against the Chicago Cubs on the 14th. 안전놀이터
U.S. media “CBS Sports” said, “Ryu Hyun-jin, who returned from Tommy John surgery, started four games and showed solid performance.” He said, “The better sign is that Ryu Hyun-jin has struck out eight in the past 14 innings, and in this game, he struck out seven in five innings.”
Ryu Hyun-jin has also been pitching 14 consecutive scoreless innings since the away game in Cleveland on the 8th.
Canadian media SportsNet said, “He showed the best pitching content after surgery.” After the surgery, there was a question mark on Ryu Hyun-jin’s resurrection, but it changed to an exclamation mark. The ball speed shows that even if it is not fast, you can fight in the big leagues only with good control and speed control.