This is a very important game for Toronto and Ryu Hyun-jin.
Ryu Hyun-jin will appear as a starting pitcher in the away game against the Oakland Athletics in the ‘2023 Major League Baseball’ held at Ring Central Coliseum in Oakland, California, USA on the 7th (Korean time).
Ryu Hyun-jin, who returned to the big leagues for the first time in 14 months last month after undergoing the second elbow surgery of his life, has pitched in 6 games since his return and has 3 wins, 1 loss, and an earned run average of 2.48. In particular, he has been playing the role of a guardian responsible for the team’s victory, as well as pitching with less than 2 earned runs in three consecutive games. Except for a loss in the return game against the Baltimore Orioles on the 2nd of last month (5 innings, 4 runs), Toronto won all of the 5 games in which Ryu Hyun-jin appeared.
His recent pitch against Colorado on the 2nd was also good. Even though Coors Field is at an altitude of 1,610 meters above sea level, which increases batting speed and distance significantly, Ryu Hyun-jin pitched well, recording 4 hits, 2 earned runs, and 2 walks in 5 innings. Aside from the home run in the second inning, the pitching wasn’t bad overall. At the time, his highest fastball speed was 145km, his average fastball speed was 140km, and the drop of his curveball, which was considered his main weapon, was also good.
Ryu Hyun-jin’s career record against Oakland is 3 games, 2 wins, no losses, and an average ERA of 5.40. Also, this season, Oakland is at the bottom of the American League West Division with 42 wins, 97 losses, and a winning percentage of 0.302. The team’s batting lineup is also dismal. As the team’s batting average this season is 0.224 and OPS is 0.671, which ranks last in the major leagues, it is expected that Ryu Hyun-jin will have an easier time dealing with the Oakland batting line.메이저놀이터
However, Toronto still has a gap in key players. Infielders Beau Bichet, Matt Chapman, and Danny Jansen, who is called Ryu Hyun-jin’s dedicated catcher, are on the injured list (IL). In the previous day’s game, Arejandro Kirk wore a catcher’s mask. Since the player to work with in the battery has changed, how Ryu Hyun-jin handles this has become an important point.
Toronto also desperately needs a win today. Toronto, which had won three games in a row with a 7-1 win over Oakland the previous day (the 6th), recorded a season record of 77 wins and 62 losses, pushing out the Texas Rangers (76 wins and 62 losses) and rising to third place in the American League (AL) wild card. . The game is only 0.5 games away. Only by widening the gap further can we easily advance to the postseason. For Ryu Hyun-jin, it was an important game for his fourth win of the season and a step toward becoming a prospective free agent, and for Toronto, it was an important game toward advancing to the postseason.