Ryu Hyun-jin (36, Toronto Blue Jays) has pitched five or more innings of three or fewer runs in six consecutive games. He has been praised by the local media for his unique “art pitching” style.
On the 13th (Korean time), he recorded his first quality start (6 innings, 3 runs) in 480 days against the Texas Rangers at home (Rogers Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada). It was his second straight loss, following a five-inning, two-run outing against the Oakland Athletics on Aug. 8, but he pitched well. It’s also encouraging to see him go six innings with his pitch count being managed around 80 pitches for injury control purposes.
The only disappointment is his high home run rate. Against Texas on April 13, he gave up a leadoff single to Corey Seager in the top of the fourth inning and then a two-run homer to left field off Robbie Grossman. If it hadn’t happened, he might have been able to avoid losing a “starter’s duel” with three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (Texas).
Ryu also took the loss on Aug. 8 against Oakland because of the home run. In the bottom of the fourth inning, with Toronto leading 1-0, he gave up a home run to left field to Carlos Perez with the bases loaded. It was the only run he allowed.
On Feb. 2, he pitched five innings and two runs against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field, the “graveyard of pitchers,” before giving up a two-run homer to Elefuris Montero in the bottom of the fourth inning. Against the Cleveland Indians on May 27, he gave up two solo shots to Jose Ramirez in the first inning and Tyler Freeman in the fifth. The only runs he gave up in Cleveland were homers.
There were very few walks. Even the two-run homer he gave up to Grossman in Texas on Aug. 13 was a cut fastball (cutter) that was well inside the body. The home run to Perez on the 8th in Oakland was a four-seam fastball that was just over the plate (for a right-handed hitter) and in the strike zone.
Montero’s home run in Colorado on Day 2 was a changeup that was slightly up the middle. It was a wild pitch. The same goes for the center changeup that was hit by Gunner Henderson in the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles on Aug. 2 in his comeback game.
But it’s fair to say that the low curveball he threw to Freeman in the fifth inning against Cleveland on Aug. 27 and the high-course fastball he threw to Ramirez in the second inning were well-received by opposing hitters. Of the six home runs he’s allowed this season, only two have been earned.스포츠토토
After a 13-month rehab stint, Ryu has erased any concerns about his lack of command and continues to pitch well. He lasted just four innings against Cleveland on Aug. 8 before an unexpected change of scenery when a pitch hit his knee, but he went five or more innings in each of his other seven starts. He hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any of those games, except for his return start (Aug. 2 against the Orioles).
Ryu is throwing 75.8 pitches per game (606 total). Of the six home runs he’s allowed, only two have been earned. The quality of his other 599 pitches is too high to pinpoint. The recent two-game losing streak is also due to the offense’s silence. Ryu is healthy.