“Korean Monster” Ryu Hyun-jin (36, Toronto Blue Jays) was also sincere with the Los Angeles Dodgers, a prestigious American major league team. Home fans also warmly welcomed the old player who visited the home stadium after 4 years.온라인바카라
On the 26th (Korean time), Ryu Hyun-jin reunited with his old teammates before Toronto’s visit to the LA Dodgers at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, USA.
The Los Angeles Dodgers team, including head coach Dave Roberts, Clayton Kershaw, Austin Barnes, and Max Muncy, talked with Ryu Hyun-jin with bright smiles. According to the video released by the Toronto club through its official SNS, not only the manager and players, but also various officials welcomed the former colleague. The Toronto club, who saw this, highlighted their reunion, saying, “RYUNITED (a compound word of Ryu Hyun-jin + UNITED), (Ryu Hyun-jin) has returned to the place where everything started. Ryu Hyun-jin, whom everyone loves.”
LA Dodgers and Ryu Hyun-jin were special to each other. Ryu Hyun-jin made his professional debut with the Hanwha Eagles in 2006 and joined the Los Angeles Dodgers through the posting system. In a situation where Korean pitchers virtually ceased to exist after Park Chan-ho and Kim Byung-hyun, Ryu Hyun-jin recorded 54 wins, 33 losses, an ERA of 2.98 in 7 seasons for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and 665 strikeouts in 740⅓ innings.
It wasn’t without a crisis. After making his big league debut in 2013, Ryu Hyun-jin, who recorded 14 wins and an average ERA of 3 for two consecutive years, actually took a break for two years due to surgery on the left shoulder joint and labrum in 2015 (one game in 2016). Until now, even if the shoulder joint and labrum return, it is a fatal injury that is judged to be difficult to perform as before. However, Ryu Hyun-jin recorded an average ERA of 1.97 in 15 games in 2018, and then flew splendidly, marking second place in the National League Cy Young Young with a 2.32 ERA of 14 wins and 5 losses in 2019. As a result, he signed a large free agent contract for 4 years and 80 million dollars (approximately 102.2 billion won) after the end of the season. At the time, it was treated as an ace with the highest amount in Toronto club history.
While working with Ryu Hyun-jin, the Los Angeles Dodgers also had their heyday. From 2013 when Ryu Hyun-jin joined to 2019 when he left, he achieved first place in the National League West Division for 7 consecutive years, and made 100 wins in two regular seasons and runner-up in the World Series. So it was natural to receive special treatment. Reporter Fabian Ardaya, who is in charge of the Los Angeles Dodgers at the American media Athletic, explained on his social media, “The Los Angeles Dodgers are currently playing a tribute video to Ryu Hyun-jin, who is undergoing Tommy John surgery and undergoing rehabilitation.”
Ryu Hyun-jin, who has reached the twilight of his career, is facing another difficult challenge. In 2020, his first year in Toronto, Ryu Hyun-jin played an ace, reaching 3rd place in the American League Cy Young with an average ERA of 2.69 with 5 wins and 2 losses in 12 games. In 2021, he won his fourth double-digit victory in his major league career, but his performance gradually declined, and in June of last year, he underwent the second elbow ligament joint surgery (Tommy John surgery) in his life and spent nearly a year in rehabilitation.
He was close to returning within July, which he was aiming for even at a much older age and second surgery. According to Toronto coach John Schneider, he lost about 30 pounds (about 13.6 kg) and averaged a 2.00 earned run average in 18 innings in four rehab appearances. On the 22nd, his most recent appearance against the Syracuse Mets, a Triple A team affiliated with the New York Mets, he recorded a maximum speed of 90.8 miles per hour (approximately 146.1 km) while digesting 6 innings.
Now, until his return, only the final judgment of Schneider and coaching staff remains. Initially, the return match was a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels this weekend (29-31), but the previous day (25), the story of a simulation game came out.
Ben Nicholson-Smith of Canadian media Sportsnet said, “Ryu Hyun-jin has a high probability of appearing in a simulation game before entering the rotation,” but “the possibility of appearing against the Los Angeles Angels has not completely disappeared.” According to MLB.com, this visit to the Dodger Stadium is to directly check Ryu Hyun-jin’s physical condition at the club, so Ryu Hyun-jin is expected to pitch in the bullpen for this three-game series.
If there are no abnormalities, there is a possibility of facing Shohei Ohtani (29) for the first time in a year. Ryu Hyun-jin and Ohtani had a starter match on May 27 last year. Ryu Hyun-jin became the winning pitcher with 6 hits, 1 strikeout and 2 runs in 5 innings, and Ohtani became the losing pitcher with 6 hits, 1 walk, 10 strikeouts and 5 runs in 6 innings. If he fails to pitch, he will pitch in a 4-game home game against the Baltimore Orioles early next month.
Meanwhile, Toronto gave the Los Angeles Dodgers 4 runs only in the bottom of the 9th inning and allowed the score to be tied 7-7. In the bottom of the 10th inning, James Outman hit a timely double with 1 RBI to end the game, and lost 7-8.