“Ryu Hyun-jin pitched live for one inning,” Toronto manager John Schneider told local media on Sunday (June 17). After undergoing elbow ligament reconstruction surgery (Tommy John surgery) in June last year, Ryu Hyun-jin (36, Toronto) finally threw a ball in front of batters after more than a year of long-term rehabilitation.

Ryu has been on a long toss program since February, and then entered a bullpen pitching phase where he increased his velocity and pitch count, throwing the ball carefully. There were no issues, and on the 17th, he pitched live for the first time. Live pitching is not an official game, but you throw with batters standing in the batter’s box. The batters hit as if it were a real game. For Ryu, it’s the last step before returning to action.

Ryu has been pitching well since he started pitching out of the bullpen. It was so good that officials were worried. They didn”t want him to overdo it and ruin his rehabilitation. But Ryu, who has had elbow and shoulder surgeries before, didn’t push the envelope and continued his rehabilitation. He graduated to bullpen pitching on schedule, and his first live pitch went well.

“He was satisfied with his first live pitch,” said a representative of the team. There’s no better sign than that. The condition of his elbow, his general mood, and the strength of his pitches were all good or appropriate. Schneider was also hopeful, saying, “Ryu said he felt good.”

In general, it takes about three to four live pitches. Ryu is planning to throw two more live pitches in the future. It’s natural for the intensity to increase the second and third time around. That means that Ryu is two steps away from making an official appearance in a minor league rehab start.

Minor league rehab starts often start with a few innings and go up to four or five innings. “He’ll be in the starting rotation in the second half of the year,” Schneider said during camp in February. That means he’ll have to be in good enough shape to pitch five innings, even if he’s not good enough to start.

Once he’s done with that, they’ll evaluate his body and decide when he can return. Ryu had originally targeted a return to the major leagues after the All-Star break, in mid-to-late July. It is remarkable that he is so close to that goal. It’s even more remarkable because he’s older and has a history of surgery. His determination is palpable.

During his rehabilitation, Ryu expressed his satisfaction with the condition of his elbow and its restraint. In the past, he used to lose sleep over his elbow and worry about it the day before a game, but now he doesn”t have that stress anymore.토토사이트

In addition, while rehabilitating his elbow, he has been diligently working out other parts of his body. Even though I’m not as fit as I was in my 20s or early 30s, I can at least expect to be in better shape than I was in 2020 or 2021 before the surgery. The return of the ‘Korean Monster’ is coming.