Ryu Hyun-jin, 36, of the Toronto Blue Jays, failed to pick up his fourth win of the season despite pitching well at Coors Field in Colorado, a place known as a pitcher’s graveyard. Ryu started the game against the Colorado Rockies in Major League Baseball (MLB) on April 2 and pitched five innings of two-run ball. With his team leading 4-2, he came off the mound to fulfill the win requirement, but the bullpen gave up the game-winning run. The Blue Jays rallied to win 13-9.
The Rockies’ home field, Coors Field, sits at an elevation of 1610 meters above sea level, which is unfavorable for pitchers. There’s less air resistance, which means 온라인바카라 the ball travels farther and straighter with the same amount of power. Ryu Hyun-jin, who made his major league debut in 2013, had struggled in his first six starts at Coors Field, posting a 7.09 ERA. On this day, however, he kept the Rockies offense in check, allowing just two runs on a single home run. He retired the side in order in the first and fifth innings. In the third inning, he gave up a leadoff single and then a two-run homer to Eleuris Montero, but then worked out of a bases-loaded jam. In the fourth, he got out of a jam with runners on first and second.
Ryu, who returned to the big leagues on March 2 after rehabbing from elbow ligament reconstruction surgery, has relied on his offspeed pitches, including a slow but accurate curveball and changeup, in his five starts this season, but on this day he threw a lot of fastballs and cutters. Of his 76 pitches, 37 (49%) were fastballs and 17 (22%) were cutters. His curveball and changeup were 12 (16%) and 10 (13%), respectively. In five innings, he gave up four hits, including a home run, and two walks, while striking out three. His season ERA increased slightly from 2.25 to 2.48.
Despite not getting the win, Ryu’s pitching continued to be well-received. “Ryu’s five innings of two-run ball at Coors Field is the equivalent of a seven-inning no-hitter elsewhere,” said Canadian outlet Sportsnet, while the Toronto Sun wrote, “Ryu gave the team what it needed (a lead) before the bullpen went to work.” The Blue Jays posted a photo of Ryu pitching on social media with the caption, “2.48 ERA since returning, a living legend”. “Living legend” was written in Korean. His next start is scheduled for July 7 against the Oakland Athletics.