Major League Baseball officials are paying attention to Hyun-jin Ryu (36, Toronto) because he is a rare case in the history of elbow ligament reconstruction (Tommy John surgery). To summarize, he underwent his second elbow surgery of his career at a young age, in his mid-30s.

Moreover, Ryu had already undergone shoulder surgery in 2015. It’s not uncommon for pitchers to have just one surgery on their elbow or shoulder in their career, but Ryu has had a total of three. It will be interesting to see if he can bounce back at the age of 36. What’s more, Ryu recently returned from Tommy John surgery faster than the typical rehabilitation period.

Ryu made an emotional return to the majors when he started a game against the Baltimore Orioles on April 2 (KST). It was his first major league start in 426 days, and the results were mixed. In five innings, he gave up four runs on nine hits, including one home run. He also took the loss.

He gave up three runs in the fifth inning, and then gave up a leadoff solo home run to Henderson in the sixth. Three runs in five innings would have been enough to give him a decent grade, but one more run makes it a dubious one. The fact that only six of the 30 pitches were over the plate made it even more frustrating. Ryu Hyun-jin had to laugh it off as he thought, “That’s not going to go over.

Some might have criticized the high percentage of hard hits (balls hit over 95 miles per hour) that contributed to the not-so-great end result of four runs in five innings. On the other hand, it’s worth noting that this was his first start in 426 days, and after a rough first inning or two, he got back on track in the third. In any case, it’s encouraging to see that he was able to pitch without getting sick.

For now, Toronto head coach John Schneider, the local Sportsnet crew, and the local media are focusing on the latter. It’s the first start of the season, so the focus is on the process and what’s possible.

In fact, in his first start, Ryu struggled with his changeup and virtually sealed his cutter, which was not feeling good. If he can get that feeling back, he’ll be able to pitch better, and if he can’t, his best days are behind him. That’s something we’ll have to wait and see.

Rob Friedman, who runs Pitching Ninja, a site dedicated to pitching, agrees. He argues that with 426 days off, he needs time to regain his senses. “It’s definitely going to take him a little bit more time to readjust,” Friedman told a podcast program on TSN, a Canadian sports network. 먹튀검증

“I think there’s some good things that I’ve seen,” said Friedman, who also praised Ryu’s curveball, adding that “there are some key pieces and there are signs.” “I think there were some good things that I saw,” Friedman said, referring to his four-seam fastball, which showed a distinct uptick in the third inning, and his sharp curveball.

“I like his old-school pitching,” Friedman said, adding, “He’s not going to blow you away with his velocity, but he knows how to throw the ball. So he’s still a very solid starter,” Friedman said. He believes that if Ryu can find his natural rhythm and delivery, he’ll be competitive, as he hasn’t had much success with his fastball anyway.

In fact, in 2019, when Ryu led the National League in ERA, his four-seam fastball averaged just 90.7 mph. If you lined up 100 major leaguers, he would have been eighth from the back, but he has a sophisticated command that allows him to throw the ball wherever he wants, and he thrives on operations and locations that can make the same pitch look different. That know-how is already embedded in his brain and DNA.

With half the success of his first start, Ryu will make his second start in the rotation on Aug. 8 against Cleveland. Toronto is currently in a six-man rotation for the time being, and Ryu needs to show something to keep his spot in the rotation. It will be interesting to see if a freshly rested Hyun-jin Ryu can improve in his next outing.