Ryu Hyun-jin (36, Toronto Blue Jays) calmed down the Texas Rangers lineup, the No. 1 batting average for the American League team, with the aesthetics of slowness.
Ryu Hyun-jin started Game 2 of the 2023 Major League Baseball’s four-game home game against the Texas Rangers at the Rogers Center in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on the 13th (Korea Standard Time) and lost three games (3 wins) of the season despite five hits (one home run) in six innings. As the batters failed to target Texas’ veteran Max Scherzer, the first quality start after surgery failed to lead to victory.
Ryu Hyun-jin’s pitching itself was reminiscent of his heyday. He gained the upper hand in the timing fight against batters by adding various breaking balls such as curves, changeups, cutters, and sinkers under the 90-mile (144km) four-seam fastball. He blocked the Texas slugger with a one-walk no-hit until the third inning, and kept the mound firmly until the sixth inning despite Robbie Grossman’s first two-run shot in the third inning and Jonah Heim’s sacrifice fly in the sixth. The ratio of strikes (59) to balls (23) was also ideal.메이저사이트
The scene that local media and broadcasters paid attention to was Ryu Hyun-jin’s fantastic slow curve. Starting with a 65-mile (104km) curve thrown to Ezekiel Duran after two outs in the second inning, he struck out Nathaniel Lowe with a 62.6-mile (100km) slow curve in the fourth inning, and minimized runs with experienced speed changes even in crisis situations. It was Ryu Hyun-jin’s way of surviving in the Major League, which is full of fireballers.
The U.S. media “Sports Illustrated” said after the game, “Ryu Hyun-jin froze Lowe with a huge slow curve of 63 miles per hour. Lowe, completely embarrassed by Ryu Hyun-jin’s extreme change in speed, could not hide his frustration while returning to the dugout. Ryu Hyun-jin threw a series of four-seam fastballs at 87 mph and sharply lowered his speed to 63 mph, he said.
Ryu Hyun-jin’s curve, reminiscent of a batting ball or a soft toss during batting practice, seems high based on the strike zone, but eventually fell to the center, freezing Lowe. Ryu Hyun-jin’s slow curve is quite strategic,” he added.
Local broadcasters in the U.S. also expressed their admiration for Ryu Hyun-jin’s slow aesthetics. “Ryu Hyun-jin’s strength against power pitcher Max Scherzer is his sophisticated location,” the broadcaster said. “I know how to throw a great slow curve,” he said.