Ryu Hyun-jin (36-Toronto Blue Jays) is back in the rotation as scheduled after an unfortunate injury forced his early departure. 섯다 The Chicago Cubs will be his first opponent in his third start since returning.
Ryu will take the mound against the Cubs at 2:37 p.m. ET on Thursday at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
After more than a year of rehabilitation following Tommy John surgery on his left elbow last June, Hyun-jin Ryu will make his third start since returning from the disabled list.
His previous two outings did not result in wins. On his comeback, he gave up four runs in five innings against the Baltimore Orioles on April 2, and was pulled after four scoreless innings against the Cleveland Indians on April 8.
The second outing was particularly disappointing. He didn’t allow a single hit until the fourth inning, when he was hit in the knee by a line drive from Oscar Gonzalez, forcing him to leave early.
The good news is that it didn’t lead to a major injury and he was able to return to the game as scheduled. Given his performance in the previous game, there are high hopes that Ryu can return to his old form.
The Cubs are currently in second place in the National League Central, threatening the first-place Milwaukee Brewers. They are in position to make their first postseason appearance in three years, either by winning the division or the wild card.
In four big league appearances against the Cubs, Ryu is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA. However, his most recent start was on June 17, 2019, against the Los Angeles Dodgers, so the head-to-head record doesn’t mean much.
The Cubs’ lineup this season has a lot of familiar names for Korean fans. That’s why Ryu’s start will be so interesting.
The first name that stands out is Cody Bellinger. He played with the Dodgers from his debut in 2017 until 2019, just before Ryu was traded.
In 2019, Bellinger won the National League Most Valuable Player (MVP) award after a monster performance that included a .305 batting average, 47 home runs, 115 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.035. Hyun-jin Ryu, also a free agent at the time, led the mound with a 14-5 record and 2.32 ERA, finishing third in the Cy Young Award. It’s a reunion of the Dodgers’ two hitting pillars in 2019.
Bellinger, who fell into a severe slump two years after winning the MVP award, has regained his form since joining the Cubs this season. He leads the team with a .327 batting average, 17 home runs and 56 RBIs (through 11 games).
Another name KBO fans will recognize is Mike Tuckman. Tuckman played in the KBO last season as a foreign hitter, 온라인섯다 playing for none other than Ryu Hyun-jin’s hometown team, Hanwha.
He hit .289 with 12 home runs and 43 RBIs, but Hanwha didn’t re-sign him. Back in the U.S., he hit .284 with seven home runs and 41 RBIs, earning a spot in the outfield. Hanwha has seen Brian O’Grady, Nick Williams, and others struggle.
This is also the first time he has faced Ryu Hyun-jin in a two-hitter. He’s shown inconsistency against left-handed pitching, so he’s likely to start.
Another concern is the Japanese slugger Seiya Suzuki. Suzuki arrived in the United States last season after a stellar career in Japanese professional baseball, but has yet to live up to expectations.
After hitting .262 with 14 home runs and 46 RBIs last year, he’s batting .254 with 10 home runs and 38 RBIs this season. He’s an outfielder and has been touted as a home run hitter, so his fewer home runs than infielder Ha Sung Kim (28-San Diego Padres) is disappointing.
Coincidentally, the game comes just one day before Liberation Day. That’s why we’re more interested in the Korean-Japanese two-hitter.
The Cubs have plenty of other hitters to watch out for, including Dansby Swanson, Nico Horner, Christopher Morrell, and Ian Happ. Ryu will have to overcome all of them to get his first win.
The Cubs’ starting pitcher will be right-hander Jameson Taillon.
After spending time with the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Yankees before landing with the Cubs this season, the right-hander has struggled to a 7-6 record with a 5.17 ERA to date. If Toronto’s hitters are able to capitalize, 고스톱 Ryu’s chances of getting his first win will be much brighter.