The “Korean Monster,” Ryu Hyun-jin (36, Toronto Blue Jays), fell just short of a fourth win as he left the mound with just one out through five innings. However, Ryu was able to get out of two consecutive jams with runners on first and second base, showing off some of his best crisis management skills. As he walked off the mound, the Toronto home fans responded with a standing ovation and showed their support.

Ryu threw a no-hitter with six hits, two walks and two strikeouts over 4⅔ innings in his first start of the 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB) World Series against the Boston Red Sox at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on Monday (June 18). His total pitch count was 83.

Ryu lowered his ERA to 2.62 from 2.93. After the game, Ryu is now 3-3 with a 2.62 ERA in nine starts this season. In 44⅔ innings pitched, he has allowed 39 hits (six home runs), 18 runs (13 earned), 11 walks, 35 strikeouts, a .229 batting average and a 1.12 WHIP.

According to Baseball America, Ryu throws a mix of 37 four-seam fastballs, 19 changeups, 13 curves, 12 cutters, and two sinkers. His fastball topped out at 91.1 mph (146.6 km/h), bottomed out at 86.5 mph (139.2 km/h), and averaged 89.1 mph (143.4 km/h). The top of the curve was 71.5 miles (115.1 kilometers) and the bottom was 62.3 miles (100.2 kilometers).
Ryu Hyun-jin is an icon of human triumph. After undergoing elbow ligament splicing surgery (Tommy John surgery) in June of last year, Ryu spent about a year and two months rehabbing before returning to the mound against Baltimore on May 2. He took the loss against Baltimore that day, allowing four runs (four earned) on nine hits (one home run) with one walk and three strikeouts in five innings, but that was as close as he came to being shaken. In his second start, on Aug. 8 against Cleveland, he tossed four scoreless innings with one walk and two strikeouts. He then allowed two earned runs or less in all six games before giving up three runs in Texas on Aug. 13. Although the two-run streak was broken, it was certainly encouraging to see him pitch a quality start (six innings or less) for the first time in eight games this season.

On this day, Ryu needed just 83 pitches to get out of the fifth inning, and there’s a reason why he’s continued to pitch short innings this season. He is a pitcher who has just returned from surgery and a year-long rehabilitation. Manager Schneider has been keeping a tight rein on Ryu’s pitch count. Ryu threw 80 pitches (Aug. 2 against Baltimore), 52 pitches (Aug. 8 against Cleveland), 86 pitches (Aug. 14 against the Chicago Cubs), 83 pitches (Aug. 21 against Cincinnati), 70 pitches (Aug. 27 against Cleveland), 76 pitches (Sept. 2 against Colorado), 77 pitches (Sept. 7 against Oakland), 82 pitches (Sept. 13 against Texas), and 83 pitches (Sept. 18 against Boston).
Toronto’s starting batting order is George Springer (designated hitter), Bo Bissett (shortstop), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (first base), Davis Schneider (second base), Cavan Biggio (right field), Matt Chapman (third base), Kevin Kiermaier (center field), Dalton Bashaw (left field), and Tyler Heinemann (catcher). The starting pitcher is Hyun-jin Ryu.

For Boston, the starting lineup is: Sedan Rafaela (center field)-Rob Lefsnyder (Korean name Kim Jung-tae, left field)-Justin Turner (designated hitter)-Rafael Devers (third base)-Adam Duvall (right field)-Pablo Reyes (second base)-Trevor Story (shortstop)-Bobby Dalbec (first base)-Leese Maguire (catcher). The starting pitcher was Nick Pivetta, who was 9-0 with a 4.56 ERA on the season prior to this game.

Top of the first: A familiar face, now an enemy… and a little help from Hosmer to get the ‘triple play’ off to a good start
Ryu started the game with a strike, firing a 69.5-mph (111.8-kilometer) curveball outside the zone to Rafaela, the leadoff hitter. The second pitch was a fastball on a similar course outside, but it was fouled off. Third pitch. This time, he threw a slower 63.9 mph (102.8 km/h) curveball that was fouled off. It rolled toward the third base foul line, but Chapman, who had already decided that first base was out of his reach, intentionally left the ball untouched. A moment of judgment. Rafaela followed with a four-pitch fastball on the body, but Toronto right fielder Biggio made a fantastic sliding catch for the first out. A slight smile appeared on Ryu’s face.

The next batter was Korean-American Rob Refsnyder, known by his Korean name Kim Jung-tae. Ryu threw an exquisite strike that buried the first pitch on the outside edge of the plate and then showed a high ball. In the third inning, Ryu used an outside changeup to induce a bad swing. In the fourth, he fired an outside cutter in the zone for a swinging strike.

The next batter to step up to the plate was Justin Turner, a former Los Angeles Dodger. Ryu was relentless with his outside pitches against Turner. Once again, the first pitch was just outside the zone. The second pitch was well outside the zone. He fouled off the third pitch and then tried another changeup in the fourth, but it was fouled off. Turner smiled slightly at that. The fifth ball was a good length delivery outside off and he fouled it. The sixth pitch was a curveball that was more of an outside arcing ball. Ryu shook his head once and then fired a low changeup in the seventh. Turner flicked it up, but it sailed just wide of the right-field fence. A clean end to the first inning. As Ryu walked off the mound, he was tested for a foreign object, but he smiled and appeared to be happy to oblige.
Top of the 2nd: Runners on second and third with no outs
With Toronto’s top of the first inning quickly over, Ryu was back on the mound without much rest. The leadoff batter was Boston’s No. 4 hitter, Devers. Ryu fired the first pitch outside the zone, low and away, and Devers looked puzzled. The second and third pitches were low and outside off and center. He fumbled the bat on the fourth delivery and then showed a high fastball on the fifth. He worked a full count and eventually induced a sixth-pitch grounder to shortstop, but the ball sailed deep into the infield for an infield hit. Bissett threw to first base in reverse motion, but missed by a wide margin. Ryu gave up his first hit of the night.

The next batter was Duvall, a known nemesis of Ryu. Ryu followed up his first pitch, a curveball, with a second pitch down the middle. This time, though, it was read. He drove it right down the middle. The ball landed just inside the left-field line and bounced into the stands. It was a double. Ryu had runners on second and third with no outs. Reyes was the next batter. With a favorable 0-2 count, Ryu threw a three-pitch fastball deep to the body, but Reyes shook his head as if he wasn’t signing with the catcher. He then fired a 90.7-mph (146-kilometer) high fastball that was induced into a grounder to shortstop. Bissett caught it and threw home. The result: a tag out. Bissett’s split-second judgment and strength of character shone through. In addition, the second baseman failed to advance to third. The next pitch, a changeup, was flied out to center field and Dalbec induced a fly ball to right field to escape the jam. The pitch that induced the third grounder was also a changeup.

Top of the 3rd: ‘Again’ with two outs and runners on second and third.
Toronto scored a run in the second inning to take the pressure off Ryu. A fastball was ruled a strike against leadoff hitter Maguire. According to MLB.com, the pitch was well inside the zone, a near-perfect knife pitch. The second pitch was a little high and away. The third pitch was a curveball that induced a false swing. The fourth pitch was very slightly outside the zone. The fifth pitch was a low curveball that McGuire swung at with one free hand, and it went to center field for a single. Ryu looked dumbfounded for a moment. He followed that up with a double off Rafaela that quickly slipped past the third baseman. It barely made it over the third base line for a double. Ryu had runners on second and third with no outs.

The next batter was Lefsnider. Ryu worked into a 2-0 unfavorable pitch count. He fired three pitches, including his trademark outside changeup, into the left-field bleachers. The pitch was a bit short, allowing McGwire to tag up at third base, but he was unable to score. Ryu faced Turner again, this time with an outside fastball, and got him to ground out to third. It was the second straight strikeout of Turner, a tricky hitter. Devers was next up. Ryu threw a high fastball in the first inning and then fouled off the second pitch. At this point, catcher Heinemann briefly visited the mound to talk to Ryu. Heinemann seemed to think it was a good idea. The third pitch was a strike in the middle of the plate, and he worked the count with a changeup. He then threw a curveball for a fourth pitch, which was slightly buried on the high side, but the umpire’s hand didn’t go up. Against the “nemesis of Ryu Hyun-jin,” he threw a high fastball and got him to fly out.

The bases were loaded. Duvall, who was 6-for-13 against Ryu in his career, stepped up to the plate. Ryu fired a fastball up the middle for a strike. The second pitch was a foul. Ryu quickly took advantage of the favorable 0-2 count. The Toronto home fans began to applaud. Ryu shook his head and took a step back. Duvall was also out of the batter’s box. In the third pitch, he threw a low pitch toward the body, but cut it off and fouled it off. In the end, Ryu was the winner. He sprayed a high fastball and caught it in the right-field bleachers. Three outs to end the inning. For the second straight inning, Ryu escaped with runners on second and third. After the pitch, Ryu pointed his index finger to the sky and headed to the dugout without looking back. By the end of the third inning, he had thrown 52 pitches.

Top of the fourth inning: runners on first and third with no outs, but Ryu stood his ground.
As good as Ryu’s outing was, the team’s offense ended quickly. In the top of the fourth, Ryu got Reyes to foul out to first base. The next batter was Story. With an 0-2 count in his favor, Ryu made Story’s head spin with a series of low body pitches, an outside changeup, and a high fastball. Finally, Ryu threw a six-pitch 67.3 mph (108.3 km/h) curveball and induced a grounder to third, but Chapman fumbled twice. The first time, he missed the ball as he failed to catch it, and the next time, he dropped it altogether. It was Chapman’s 12th error of the season. That wasn’t the end of it. The next batter, after a Dalbec fastball, hit a fantastic strike to the low outside corner of the second pitch (a sinker). It was a pitch on a course that the batter could only hit for a grounder, but a low changeup three pitches later led to a single to left-center. This allowed Story to advance to third base. First and third with one out. But Ryu proved his crisis management skills again. Against the next batter, McGwire, he sprayed an 88.9 mph (143.0 km/h) fastball up the middle and induced a popup in front of the shortstop. End of inning. By the fourth inning, Ryu had thrown 63 pitches.

Top of the 5th: ‘-1OUT’ to the winning pitcher requirement… but ‘nemesis’ Duvall comes to bat in the bottom of the 5th.
With his team still leading 1-0, Ryu took the mound in the fifth inning. After throwing two pitches in a row to the leadoff batter, Ryu threw three outside strikes. The fourth pitch was driven in but fouled off. On the fifth pitch, he induced Rafaela to ground out in front of the pitcher. The pitch bounced in front of her, and she jumped up to catch it and throw to first base. Ryu’s athleticism and reflexes were on full display. The next batter was Lefsnider. With the count 1-1, Ryu fired three beautifully trajectory curveballs to induce swings and misses. However, the fourth pitch bounced very high in front of the catcher for an infield hit. As soon as Ryu caught the ball, he spun and tried to throw to first base, but he was too concerned with first base and missed the throw.

The next batter was Turner. With a favorable 0-2 count, Ryu showed a high fastball. Ryu then unleashed a low cutter to get Turner to strike out swinging. It was the first time in three at-bats that Ryu had retired Turner on strikes. Devers was next up. With the count 1-1, Ryu’s third pitch, a changeup, was ruled to be just outside the zone. Ryu paused for a moment, then grinned as he took the ball from the catcher. Four pitches, ball. The fifth pitch was a strike. It was a full count. But the sixth pitch, a fastball up the middle, was hit high, putting runners on first and second. The next batter was Duvall, Ryu’s nemesis. And that was it. Schneider took the mound himself and handed Ryu the ball with two runners on base. The winning pitcher was replaced with only one out. Ryu handed the ball over quickly, as if he knew what to expect, and staggered down the mound with his head down.
So why did Schneider decide to pull Ryu? First of all, he had already thrown 83 pitches. If he was allowed to throw more pitches, he would have surpassed his previous high of 86 pitches against the Chicago Cubs on August 14, but that would have been too much for Ryu, who has yet to reach 90 pitches this season. And when he saw the last pitch slip out of his hand for a grounder, he might have thought he had run out of gas. Add to that the fact that the next batter was Duvall, who has been a nemesis for Ryu. Moreover, at this point, the team is more important than the individual. The Toronto home fans gave Ryu a standing ovation as he walked to the dugout, but Imai Garcia, who took over for Ryu, struck out Duvall on a wild pitch to end the inning.

Even though Ryu didn’t get the win on the day, the team was all smiles as they pulled off a thrilling come-from-behind victory. Toronto put runners on second and third in the bottom of the second after an infield single by Biggio and a double by Chapman. Kiermeyer then delivered a sacrifice fly to left field to make it 1-0. Toronto added another big one in the fifth inning. With the bases loaded, Basho hit a solo shot to right field (2-0), but Boston wouldn’t go down without a fight. In the seventh, Lev Snyder drew a walk and one out later, Devers was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Duvall flied out to center field, but Reyes followed with a single to left to make it a one-run game (2-1). Boston’s final offense. Leadoff hitter Yoshida and the subsequent turner each struck out swinging. With one out and one on, the Red Sox gave up a game-tying solo shot to left field. The game was tied 2-2, but Toronto had the last laugh in the bottom of the ninth. One out later, Biggio led off with a single to left. Chapman followed with a double off the center field fence, allowing Biggio, who was on first base, to round third and come home to end the game.
In addition to Ryu, Garcia pitched 1 1/3 innings of scoreless baseball with one hit, one walk and two strikeouts; Cabrera pitched ⅔ innings of scoreless baseball with one hit, one walk and one strikeout; Green pitched 1 1/3 innings of scoreless baseball with two strikeouts; and Swanson pitched 1 1/3 innings of scoreless baseball with two strikeouts and one run (one earned). Cabrera and Green picked up the holds, while Swanson earned the win despite a blown save. Toronto, which totaled seven hits, was led by Biggio, who went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored, while Chapman also had a multi-hit game. Springer, Guerrero Jr. and Basho (one home run) each had one hit.

Meanwhile, Boston starter Pivetta pitched 6 1/3 innings of four-hit ball, striking out six and allowing two runs (two earned) before the bases were loaded to tie the game. Murphy followed with ⅔ innings of one-hit, one-strikeout relief, Robertson tossed one inning of one-hit, one-strikeout relief, and Whitlock took the loss in ⅓ inning of two-hit, one-strikeout relief. At the plate, Devers was the top performer in the nine-hit affair, going 2-for-4 with a home run, one RBI, one run scored and two walks. All but Turner of the batters who started the day had one hit. 먹튀검증

The win was Toronto’s third in a row, improving their record to 83-67. They are in third place in the American League East. Before sweeping the three-game series against Boston, the Rays dropped a four-game series against Texas. On the same day that Texas lost 2-9 to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto moved into a tie for the second wild-card spot with Texas at 82-67. They trail Texas by 0.5 games. In the current wild-card race, Toronto has 12 games remaining, while Texas and Seattle have 13. On the other hand, Boston’s loss to Toronto today pushed them further out of the wild-card race at 74 points and 76 games. Toronto will now take a day off before returning home for a three-game series against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium from April 20-22.