“Living legend” Toronto was excited, this time bragging about being “AL TOP 5 pitcher”
Ryu Hyun-jin (Toronto), who returned from elbow ligament reconstruction surgery (Tommy John surgery), can be called Toronto’s ‘victory fairy’. This is because Toronto often won on days when Ryu Hyun-jin took the mound. As of the 3rd (Korean time), he has won 5 times (83.3%) out of 6 appearances.
The only time Ryu Hyun-jin lost on the day he pitched was against Baltimore on August 2, his return game. After that, Toronto won all of the games against Cleveland on August 8th, against the Chicago Cubs on August 14th, against Cincinnati on August 21st, against Cleveland on August 27th, and against Colorado on September 2nd, regardless of Ryu Hyun-jin’s win or loss. Ryu Hyun-jin achieved 3 individual wins in these 5 games. Toronto, which is putting its life and death on advancing to the postseason, has no choice but to wait for Ryu Hyun-jin to take the mound.
The reason they won 5 out of 6 games was because Ryu Hyun-jin, who started as a starter, laid the foundation for the team’s victory. In five games, Ryu Hyun-jin never allowed more than two earned runs. There were no earned runs in 3 of the 5 games, and only 2 earned runs were allowed in the game against Cleveland on August 27th and against Colorado on the 2nd.
Additionally, when Ryu Hyun-jin takes the mound, the batting lineup often performs well from the beginning. Even if he didn’t get any defensive help at all, there weren’t many games where it felt like his batting support was too poor. This year, Ryu Hyun-jin’s run support per 9 innings is 4.03 points, which is not bad. This figure is well beyond his personal career highs (3.52 points).
Ryu Hyun-jin, who took the mound in the game against Colorado (13-9 win) held at Coors Field, known as the ‘graveyard of pitchers’ on the 2nd, showed relatively stable pitching that day as well, laying the foundation for the team to win. He held up well in 5 innings, allowing 4 hits (1 home run), 2 walks, 3 strikeouts, and 2 runs. Although he was not without a crisis, he showed off the aspect of a veteran who was able to overcome this crisis well. At Coors Field, where the ball is dangerous when the ball floats, we held on by minimizing the number of goals conceded.
In particular, even though referee Angel Hernández’s infamous decision was on the chopping block again, Ryu Hyun-jin calmly blocked it. He did not allow consecutive hits, and the only point allowed was Montero’s two-run shot in the third inning. The changeup was thrown in the middle, but Montero hit it well. The pitcher had no need to complain, and Ryu Hyun-jin also acknowledged it cleanly and went on to the 5th inning without allowing any additional runs.
The Toronto team also seems excited about Ryu Hyun-jin’s good pitching and the team’s victory. Toronto, which makes good use of the club’s social networking service (SNS), has recently been attracting attention by posting a phrase that appears to be a ‘Korean patch’ every time Ryu Hyun-jin takes the mound. The most representative one was the sentence ‘Ryu Hyun-jin’s form is crazy’ posted after the Cincinnati game on the 21st (5 innings, no earned runs). It is a popular phrase among the younger generation in Korea, and the witty expression of it received a great welcome from fans.
After the Colorado game on the 2nd, Ryu Hyun-jin’s pitching content was posted on Club Also, on the 3rd, on Facebook, ‘Ryu Hyun-jin is recording an ERA of 2.48 since returning. “This is also a top 5 record in the American League (for the relevant period),” he said, highlighting Ryu Hyun-jin’s outstanding performance.
This is not an accurate record. However, it is true that Ryu Hyun-jin’s record is around that level. In fact, among pitchers who have started more than five games since Ryu Hyun-jin’s return, there are only nine pitchers in the entire major league who have a better ERA than Ryu Hyun-jin. Ryu Hyun-jin is in 10th place. However, among these nine, there are many pitchers from the American League.
Among them, the American League pitchers are Cole Regans (Kansas City‧1.72), Sonny Gray (Minnesota‧2.04), Kyle Bradish (Baltimore‧2.12), Max Scherzer (Texas‧2.21), Pablo Lopez (Minnesota‧2.25), Jordan Montgomery (Texas‧2.30), Paul Blackburn (Oakland‧2.35), and Dean Kremer (Baltimore‧2.37). Ryu Hyun-jin is in 9th place. Although the Toronto team’s expression is not accurate, Ryu Hyun-jin’s ERA is not much different from theirs, so it can be said that they are congratulating him on his successful return.
Ryu Hyun-jin showed off his excellent pitching content in the first six games, proving his pitching quality. His team also continues to lead them to victory. Now all that’s left is to prove his ability in more innings and more pitches. Ryu Hyun-jin can be said to be the final gateway to his rehabilitation.
In fact, Ryu Hyun-jin’s highest number of pitches in a game after his return was 86 (August 14 against the Chicago Cubs). He also had three games in which he finished under 80. In the game against Cleveland on August 27, even though the number of pitches was 70, Ryu Hyun-jin was replaced when the team was in trouble in the 6th inning. In the game against Colorado on the 2nd, the number of pitches until the 5th inning was 76. He could have gone one more inning, but the bench decided to replace him.
This may be to protect Ryu Hyun-jin on the bench, but it may also have been taken into account that the two games in which he was on the mound in the 6th inning (against Baltimore on August 2 and against Cleveland on August 27) did not end very well. For the team, the best scenario is for Ryu Hyun-jin to go more than 6 innings. Considering Ryu Hyun-jin’s upcoming free agency qualification, he must show such ability. This is the final task to be solved in the remaining five appearances.
By: 먹튀검증