“Ryu Hyun-jin was fantastic” US raves about class comeback, RYU himself admits ‘-13kg loss’

토스카지노The class was still there. Ryu Hyun-jin (36-Toronto Blue Jays), who is close to returning to the major leagues, pitched a different ballgame in his third rehab start and first Triple-A outing, notably striking out five while maintaining his trademark borderline fastball.

Ryu made his Triple-A debut against the Toledo Mud Hens (Detroit Tigers) at Salmon Field in Buffalo, N.Y., on 16 June, giving up one run on three hits with five strikeouts and four walks in five innings. He threw 66 pitches. He threw a mix of fastballs, cutters, changeups, and curves, with his fastball reaching 89.8 mph (about 144.5 km/h).

Ryu was nearly flawless, except for a big one in the first inning. He induced leadoff hitter Parker Middaugh to fly out to right field on three pitches in a favourable 0-2 count, but the next batter, Justin-Henry Mulroy, was hit with a full-count, seven-pitch at-bat and allowed a home run over the left field fence. It was Ryu’s first home run of his rehab start. But he didn’t falter any further. He followed that up by getting Colt Case to ground out to shortstop on the first pitch he saw, and then Tyler Nevin fouled off a changeup that dropped after seven pitches.

With his team down by three runs in the bottom of the first, Hyun-jin Ryu worked a three-out walk in the second. He struck out leadoff hitter Yohan Camargo on five pitches on a 1-2 pitch count. The outside pitch was well inside the strike zone. He induced Donnie Sands to ground out to shortstop and then struck out Michael Papierski on a full count with seven pitches. The pitch was well placed in the low part of the strike zone.

Ryu Hyun-jin throws to Michael Papierski in the second inning. The seventh pitch was placed low in the strike zone. /Photo=MILB.com

Ryu Hyun-jin pitches a complete game on the 16th. /Photo=Buffalo Bisons Official Social Media
Ryu retired the side in order in the third inning. After getting leadoff hitter Andrew Knapp to ground out to shortstop on three pitches, he struck out Corey Joyce on four pitches. Again, the ball was exquisitely placed outside the strike zone. The next batter, Meadows, flied out to straightaway left field. End of inning.

Ryu sprayed Joyce in the third inning. The fourth pitch is an exquisite delivery on the outside of the boundary line. /Photo=MILB.com
Ryu returned to the mound in the fourth inning. He gave up two hits in this inning. After getting leadoff hitter Mulroy to fly out to right field, he gave up back-to-back singles to Casey and Nevin. But he got Camargo to fly out to third to end the inning.

And in the top of the fifth. Ryu once again showed his mettle by working out of a three-hit jam. He induced leadoff hitter Sands to fly out to centre field and Papierski to fly out to right field. He then retired Knapp on a 2-2 count with a five-pitch fastball that was exquisitely placed in the zone.

Ryu faced Knapp again in the fifth inning, this time with a fastball just outside the strike zone for a swinging strike. /Photo=MILB.com

Ryu Hyun-jin throws a strong pitch on the 16th. /Photo=Buffalo Bisons official social media accounts
Earlier in the day, the Buffalo News reported that Ryu was scheduled to throw “four or five innings, aiming for a pitch count of about 65.” He ended up throwing one more pitch than he was scheduled to and finished the day with a clean outing.

“Ryu moved one step closer to a big league return with a sharp start at Triple-A,” the Toronto Star reported after the game on the 16th. “Ryu gave up a solo homer to Mulroy in the first inning, but retired nine straight batters, including four straight strikeouts. He threw a total of 66 pitches, 46 for strikes. While he struck out five, he gave up three hits and no walks.”

“I’m really happy, I pitched at a higher level this game,” Ryu told the Toronto Star, “I was able to focus on more things. I’m glad I did what I really needed to do,” he said. Ryu continued, “I should have thrown at least 65 pitches. I wanted to hit the hitters as fast as possible, so I’m very happy with that.” On the day, Ryu threw 58 pitches until the fifth inning. He then threw just eight pitches in the fifth inning to reach the 66-pitch mark.

Hyun-jin Ryu pitches on the 16th. /Photo=Buffalo Bisons official social media accounts

Ryu Hyun-jin prepares to pitch on the 16th. /Photo=Buffalo Bisons Official Social Media
Ryu has been receiving a lot of attention lately for his slimmer figure, and he has admitted to losing weight. According to Canadian media outlet TSN, Toronto manager John Schneider said, “Ryu has lost nearly 30 pounds (about 13.6 kilograms) during his rehabilitation. He’s in ideal shape,” he said. The Toronto Star also said, “Ryu is back to his slimmer self. The effect of running and weight training during the rehabilitation period.” “I think being a little lighter might be helpful (for pitching), and of course I was more keen on what I was eating, but it just naturally happened,” Ryu said in the interview.

The official minor league website also praised Ryu for his Triple-A performance. “Ryu, who is currently completing an MLB rehab assignment after undergoing Tommy John surgery in June of last year, had a fantastic start for the Bisons,” wrote MILB.com, “allowing just three hits and one run over five innings. He struck out five and walked none. It was Ryu’s first win in Triple-A.”

With this, Ryu has successfully completed his Triple-A debut. It’s not long before we see him in the major leagues. However, he plans to make one or two more Triple-A appearances. “I’ll probably come back here to pitch again,” he said. Ryu is making good progress in his rehabilitation. He threw his first bullpen session in front of teammates and coaches in late May, then moved on to live pitches and simulated games. Then, on the fifth, he started a minor league rookie league game and threw three innings (42 pitches), allowing one run on four hits with five strikeouts. His fastball topped out at 88 mph (141.6 km/h). On the 10th, he made a Low Single-A start, throwing four innings (37 pitches) of three-hit, one-strikeout, no-run ball. His fastball topped out at 88.4 mph (142.3 km/h). He threw 66 pitches on the day, completing his third rehab start. Now, Ryu is expected to increase his throw count to 85 pitches in his next Triple-A outing before returning to the majors healthy.