One of the most important traits baseball managers look for in a starting pitcher is a pitcher who can “count. It describes a pitcher who knows how to keep his team in the game, even if it means giving up a few runs. There is no better example of this than Ryu Hyun-jin (36, Toronto Blue Jays).

Ryu made his 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB) debut against the Oakland Athletics at the Coliseum in Oakland, California, on Sunday (July 7), throwing 77 pitches over five innings, allowing two runs on five hits with one walk and five strikeouts.

He hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in any of his starts, with the exception of a five-inning, four-run outing against the Baltimore Orioles on May 2, his first in a year and two months. In seven starts, he has gone five innings six times. His 3-2 record with a 2.65 ERA is like a medal of honor.

“Ryu’s performance is a bonus,” smiles RYU manager Chun Gun-man-ma
“When Ryu broke his elbow last summer, it seemed unlikely that he would ever throw a ball in Toronto again,” said Canadian outlet Sportsnet, calling him the ‘Rising Star’. Coming off Tommy John surgery, the Jays weren’t sure how to include the 35-year-old veteran left-hander in their 2023 plans.”

Manager John Schneider said, “We were hoping he would return during the season. “We were hoping he’d come back during the offseason, and he’s been showing flashes of what he used to be,” Schneider said, “and the fact that he’s been pitching so well has been a bonus.

However, it was not easy to see how Ryu would perform this season. His in-season return was unclear, and few expected the veteran pitcher, who had undergone two elbow surgeries, to perform like he had in the past. That’s where the word “bonus” comes in.

It’s even more of a boost when coupled with the extreme struggles of Alex Manoa, who was a finalist for the American League (AL) Cy Young Award last year. After going 16-7 with a 2.24 ERA in his 2021 debut last year, Manoa has fallen off the map, going 3-9 with a 5.87 ERA this season. “It was a very underrated part of our season,” Schneider said.

“I thought it was the same as before, and I felt the same after I came back,” Ryu said of his delivery.

Sportsnet found the answer in proper rehabilitation: teammates Jordan Romano and Tim Mayza both received Tommy John surgeries, which helped Ryu’s return.

“I feel like my arm is recovering as fast or better than it was before,” Ryu said after the Oakland game. “Regardless of how he’s gotten back to form, Ryu seems to have found the sweet spot that will bring Toronto great fortune,” Sportsnet wrote.

Quality starts + home run control: what Ryu needs to prove
However, there were some mixed reviews of the pitching performance. He didn’t fare much better against Oakland, who are in the bottom half of the standings. As the Toronto Sun put it, “He was a little off his game.”

The need for quality starts (6+ innings, 3 earned runs or less) is urgent. Three runs in six innings translates to an ERA of 4.50. That’s not a great starting pitcher’s record by any means, but it’s an intuitive indicator of a starter’s basic duties.

Ryu has been solid since his return, but he needs to show that he can go the distance.카지노사이트

It’s a bit unfair, though. In his last few outings, Ryu has been knocked out of games with very few pitches, only to have his bullpen blow up afterward.

This is because Schneider hasn”t been able to convince him of his physical condition yet. He didn’t want to push him too hard.

For that, it’s more about pitch count management. Ryu has only walked eight batters this season. That’s a big difference from his strikeouts (28). One of the reasons for the increase in pitches is home runs. While his trademark crisis management skills allow him to erase runs with runners in scoring position, he has struggled a bit with random home runs.

In seven games this season, he has been hit by five home runs. In his last three games, he has given up a home run in each game and has allowed two earned runs in three straight. Each home run allowed could be a factor in Schneider’s growing distrust of Ryu after the fifth inning, when he was struggling a bit.

In the end, it’s important for him to get a quality start so he can move up the ladder again, and he’ll need to prove that he can manage his pitches and limit the home runs.