Korean Monster Ryu Hyun-jin (Toronto Blue Jays), who left a disappointing pitch for the last two consecutive games, has been postponed.
Toronto named Yusei Kikuchi as the starting pitcher for the home game against the Tampa Bay Rays, a 2023 major league team, at Rogers Center in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on the 30th (Korea Standard Time).
Initially, Ryu Hyun-jin was likely to take the mound on the 30th, but considering the five-man rotation date, it was Ryu’s turn to pitch. Ryu Hyun-jin, who took five days off after taking the mound against the Boston Red Sox on the 18th, is likely to take the mound on the 30th because he took five days off against Tampa Bay on the 24th, but Toronto changed its rotation.
The atmosphere was good until he first recorded a quality start (less than three earned runs in six innings) against the Texas Rangers on the 13th after returning from Tommy John surgery, but Ryu Hyun-jin was a little unfamiliar from the match against Boston on the 18th. At the time, Ryu Hyun-jin allowed four scoreless innings in the ⅔, but it was safe to say that almost every inning was a “crisis” because the pitch was quite unstable, allowing six hits and two walks.
The bad trend was also directly related to Tampa Bay. Ryu Hyun-jin recently allowed 5 runs (5 earned) in 4⅓ innings against Tampa Bay, which was his worst pitching this season. Ryu Hyun-jin gave up 4 runs, including 2 home runs, starting from the 1st inning, and seemed to be cruising as he allowed no runs in the 2nd and 3rd innings, but in the 4th inning, former NC Dinos player Christian Betancourt hit his third home run, leading to 5 runs. I couldn’t get through the inning and went down the mound.
It appears that the change in Ryu Hyun-jin’s pitching schedule was due to his recent unstable and poor pitching. Currently, Toronto is competing fiercely for the American League wild card ticket, but after suffering consecutive losses to the New York Yankees just before advancing to the postseason, they are in a situation where they cannot guarantee securing a wild card ticket. Toronto did not reveal the reason for the change in Ryu Hyun-jin’s starting schedule, but it is likely that his recent sluggish performance had an effect.
Yusei Kikuchi will take the mound in place of Ryu Hyun-jin in the game on the 30th. Initially, Kikuchi was expected to take the mound on October 1, but due to changes in the rotation, he will take the mound a day earlier. Kikuchi has appeared in 31 games, pitched 162⅔ innings, recorded 10 wins, 6 losses, and an ERA of 3.82, including his first double-digit win in his debut after five seasons in the major leagues this year.
It’s not an overwhelming performance, but his recent appearances aren’t bad. Kikuchi performed poorly against Texas on the 14th, allowing 6 runs (6 earned) in 5 innings, but fought back against the New York Yankees on the 20th by allowing 1 run in 5 innings, earning his 10th win. In the match against Tampa Bay on the 25th, he allowed 3 runs in 4 innings. (3 earned runs), his pitching was slightly better than Ryu Hyun-jin.
First of all, Kikuchi will start in place of Ryu Hyun-jin in the game on the 30th, and it is very unlikely that ‘ace’ Kevin Gausman will pitch in the game on the 1st, so it is highly likely that Ryu Hyun-jin will start, but Toronto’s starting pitcher on the 1st is still. It is not confirmed. The possibility of a bullpen day cannot be ruled out.
Source: 안전놀이터
Toronto needs to win two of the remaining three games to secure a wild card ticket on its own. Therefore, if Ryu Hyun-jin takes the mound on the 1st, the ‘Korean Monster’ may secure advancement to the postseason. A lot of attention is bound to be focused on the date of Ryu Hyun-jin’s appearance.