It’s all set. The “Korean Monster” Ryu Hyun-jin (36, Toronto Blue Jays) will finally make his big league return.
“Hyun-jin Ryu will start a home game against the Baltimore Orioles next month on April 2,” Canadian outlet Sportsnet reported on Monday (April 29). There is no pitch count limit. It will be exactly one year and two months since Ryu’s last big league start on June 2 against the Chicago White Sox.
Toronto manager John Schneider said, “He’s ready to go. “He’s ready, and it’s time to move forward and not look back,” said Toronto manager John Schneider, adding that the rehabilitation process has been remarkable considering his age and second surgery.
Ryu, who underwent ligament splicing surgery on his left elbow on June 19 last year, gradually improved his physical condition by pitching out of the bullpen in May and finished pitching live in June. He also combined cardio and weight training to lose weight while cutting down on late-night meals. Ryu’s idea was to prepare for the long break without missing a beat.
Ryu entered “game mode” in earnest this month and gradually increased his pitch count to 42, 37, and 66 pitches in his rehab appearances. This naturally brought him closer to his goal of returning to the big leagues in July. In his last rehabilitation appearance on July 22 (KST) against the Syracuse Mets of the New York Mets organization, he threw six innings of three hits (two home runs), one walk, five strikeouts, and two runs to achieve a quality start (QS), and threw 85 pitches, the most since his surgery.
In particular, Ryu’s fastball reached 90.8 miles per hour (146 km/h) on the day, while his average velocity was measured at 88.3 miles per hour (142 km/h). His fastball (39 pitches), changeup (23 pitches), cut fastball (13 pitches), and curveball (10 pitches) were all rated as good.
After successfully completing four rehabilitation appearances, Ryu signaled his imminent return by rejoining the team ahead of a road game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 25, and he pitched out of the bullpen at Dodger Stadium on May 27 to check his condition. The scenario of skipping the games against the Jays and Angels and rejoining the starting rotation for a four-game homestand against Baltimore became more likely.
Toronto’s decision to delay Hyun-jin Ryu’s start later than expected meant that the hometown Dodgers and Shohei Ohtani’s Korea-Japan big league matchup fell through. But Baltimore is no slouch either. They lead the American League East this season and have a winning percentage of more than 6 percent. Their recent two-game losing streak has slowed them down a bit, but don’t let your guard down – they’re not going to be an easy opponent for Ryu.바카라
The team has been eagerly awaiting Ryu’s arrival as much as the player. After taking a day off on the 28th, Toronto went on a 17-game ‘binge’ without a single day off starting on the 29th against the Angels. This is why Toronto was even considering a six-man starting rotation early on. In order to keep the rotation healthy and minimize mound overload through mid-August, the Jays need Ryu to step up during this stretch.