July 7, 2-5 loss at Oakland
Ryu Hyun-jin gives up 2 runs on 5 hits (1 home run) in 5 innings of work
Over the course of a baseball season, you can’t always tell a team from an underdog based on their record. Oakland is the underdog this season with the lowest winning percentage in the majors (43 wins, 97 losses – .307 winning percentage). Toronto, on the other hand, is 77-63 (.550 winning percentage) and is in the thick of the postseason race.
However, the “Toronto of today” is a different story. They’re missing a number of key hitters, including infielders Beau Bissett and Matt Chapman, and catcher Danny Jansen. It’s safe to say that they’re playing with their weakest team.
And with only 23 games left in the season, every win is precious. With that in mind, it’s understandable that Toronto head coach John Schneider is using his bullpen instead of letting his starters go too long. It’s a statement of intent to get a win at all costs.
While some fans in Korea may be disappointed that Ryu Hyun-jin (36, Toronto) has only pitched five innings (all of which were two runs or less) in five consecutive games, missing out on a quality start (QS – six or more innings and three or fewer earned runs), the team’s situation must be taken into consideration. Furthermore, if Ryu overexerts himself, it could affect his next start.
It’s not about the QS, he’s done his job. It’s just that Trevor Richards gave up three runs in the sixth inning after Ryu, and it would have been nice to have a stronger bullpen.
After pitching well through three innings, Ryu gave up a two-run homer to Carlos Perez with two outs in the fourth inning with a 1-0 lead. The home run wasn’t a wild pitch. It was a 91-mile-per-hour four-seam fastball that was thrown low and away from the body, and the batter made good contact.
Rather, the pitch that led off the fourth inning with a double by Brent Rooker was an “oopsie. It was a 78 mph changeup up the middle. It should have been down and away or outside. That’s what led to the two runs.
Ryu had been hovering around 88-89 mph (142-143 km/h) on his fastball in the first three innings of the game, but he touched 91 mph when he struck out Rooker in the first inning. He seems to be getting better and better at filling up the zone with each game since his return.
Today, Ryu was paired with catcher Tyler Heinemann for the first time in place of the injured Jansen, but you could see Ryu shaking his head several times as they mixed pitches together. He also allowed three stolen bases and threw a wild pitch.온라인바카
The third stolen base to Esteemed Luis in the fifth inning was the result of Heinemann throwing the ball too loosely to Ryu. There’s no way Lewis, who leads the American League in stolen bases (58), could have missed that. Not only Ryu, but the next pitcher, Richards, threw just two pitches to the first three batters – a changeup and a four-seam fastball – before getting hit, walked, and homered. With a simple “two-pitch” mix, the hitters didn’t seem to notice.
It is believed that the Toronto bench started Heinemann to give another backup catcher, Alejandro Kirk, a break. However, in the final stretch of the season, when one win is crucial, it’s necessary to play him, even if it’s a bit of a stretch. It’s not the time to cut corners.
/Kim In-sung, advisor to the KBO commissioner and former national team manager
Advisor to the President of the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO), Kim has earned the nickname “The People’s Manager” for his leadership of South Korean baseball as a global powerhouse. In addition to Korean baseball, he is also familiar with Major League Baseball (MLB). As manager of the World Baseball Classic (WBC), he faced some of MLB’s biggest stars and continues to watch and analyze MLB games to this day.