Ryu Hyun-jin allows zero runs despite 6 hits and 2 walks

Ryu Hyun-jin of the Toronto Blue Jays showcased his risk management capabilities by allowing zero runs when there were runners on second and third with no outs and runners on first and third with one out. However, he left the mound with one out short to become a winning pitcher, failing to achieve his fourth season win.

Ryu took the mound as the starting pitcher in a home game against the Boston Red Sox on Monday and pitched for four and two-thirds innings, allowing zero runs on six hits, two walks, and two strikeouts. Ryu had a pleasant start with a fly ball to right field, a strike-out, and a fly ball to left field against the first three batters in the top of the first inning. However, he faced a crisis of possibly allowing a run in every inning after that. In the second inning, with runners on second and third with no out, Ryu allowed no runs thanks to the excellent defense of shortstop Bo Bichette. Bichette threw out the batter running from the third base to home after catching an infield ground ball. Ryu struck out the following two batters in the first and second bases with one out with outfield fly balls. The pitcher faced the same situation again with runners on second and third with no outs in the third inning but managed to get through it without allowing a run. In the fourth inning, a situation with runners on first and third with one out was created due to a defense mistake, but Ryu created a double play and finished the inning.

Ryu handed over the mound to Yimi Garcia in the fifth inning with runners on first and second with two outs, with the Toronto Blue Jays leading the game by 1-0. The team’s coach John Schneider replaced Ryu with Garcia as Ryu threw 83 pitches. The South Korean pitcher, who had his first match on August 1, about 14 months after he had Tommy John surgery, has not thrown over 90 pitches per match in eight games he had before the match against the Boston Red Sox. The highest number of pitches he recorded since his return was 86 in a match against the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 14. “I might have felt disappointed about leaving the game early on if it were the beginning of the season. However, this is not the time. Every game matters as teams compete to advance to the postseason. A player must accept it,” said Ryu. Relief pitcher Garcia struck out following batters, leaving Ryu with no outs. Ryu’s ERA of the season dropped from 2.93 to 2.62.

The Toronto Blue Jays won the match 3-2, with Matt Chapman making a three-base hit in the bottom of the ninth inning. The team, on a three-winning streak, overtook the Texas Rangers, which lost against the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday, and got the No. 2 position in the American League Wild Card. The top three Wild Card teams advance to the postseason.


Heon-Jae Lee uni@donga.com