Ryu Hyun-jin, 36, of the Toronto Blue Jays, who received praise for his follow-through after being hit by a 157.2-mile-per-hour fastball in his previous game, has been scheduled for his next start. However, there was a catch.
“Hyun-jin Ryu is scheduled to start a home game against the Chicago Cubs at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada, on Thursday,” The Athletic reported.
After going 2-2 in a four-game series against the Cleveland Indians on the road, Toronto returns home for a three-game series against the Cubs. With a 65-52 record with 11 games remaining, Toronto is in third place in the American League East and the third wild-card spot, making the three-game series against the relative underdog Cubs (59-56) crucial.
Ryu is scheduled to pitch the final game of the series against the Cubs. It was an unlikely schedule. In his last start against Cleveland on Aug. 8, Ryu threw four innings of one-hit ball, striking out two and walking none.
Things got dicey. In the bottom of the fourth inning, a 97.7 mph (157.2 km/h) fastball from Gonzalez hit Ryu in the calf near his left knee. It was enough of an injury that Toronto manager John Schneider rushed to the field and picked him up. Fans were impressed with Ryu’s ability to hold onto his knee and roll to first base in pain, then throw to first for the first out of the inning.
A medical examination revealed nothing more than a bruise, but it was clear that the calf was swollen to the point where Schneider joked that Ryu had “two calves.”
His return to the mound against the Cubs came with one condition. Another outlet, CBS Sports, explained, “If Ryu makes it through his bullpen session on Dec. 12 without any problems, he could throw against the Cubs.”
According to Fashion MLB, if Ryu is healthy, Toronto will send Jose Berrios, Chris Bassitt, and Ryu Hyun-jin to face Javier Asad, Justin Steele, and Jameson Tyone. “If Hyun-jin Ryu is not feeling well, Yusei Kikuchi will start, followed by Kevin Gausman,” the organization said. This is a viable strategy as Toronto is currently running a six-man rotation and has 15 days off.
Although he was pulled after four innings due to injury, Ryu’s pitching was well-received. In Game 8, Ryu threw a total of 52 pitches – 26 four-seam fastballs, 11 changeups, 10 curves, and five cutters – and was flawless, inducing seven wild swings. His fastball only reached 90.7 miles per hour (146 kilometers per hour), but he pitched a perfect third inning, inducing five swinging strikes with his changeup, which he fully utilized from the second inning on.
“Hyun-Jin Ryu used his trademark changeup to keep the hard-hitting batters in check for a four-inning no-hitter,” said MLB.com, “Toronto got to see the ‘right’ Hyun-Jin Ryu they’ve been waiting more than a year for in the first four innings against Cleveland. His velocity still wasn’t up to par, but his location was spot-on and his all-important changeup was again making batters miss. This is how Ryu beats hitters.”
If all goes well, the Cubs will be a good matchup for Ryu. In four career starts against the Cubs, Ryu is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA. In his most recent start, in 2019, he threw seven innings of one-run ball with eight strikeouts and no walks.카지노사이트
The main target to watch is Ryu’s former LA Dodgers teammate Cody Bellinger, who has rebounded this season. Bellinger, who joined the Cubs this season after being released by the Dodgers last year, is batting .327 with 17 home runs, 56 RBI, 65 runs scored, 17 doubles, and a .927 OPS in 84 games. Mike Tuckman, who played for the Hanwha Eagles of the KBO last year, is another player to watch. Tuckman is batting .284 with seven home runs, 41 RBIs, 44 runs scored, five doubles and an OPS of .821 in 66 games, helping the Cubs in the National League Wild Card race this season.