Two-run fifth inning, Ryu faces ‘legend’ TEX Schwarzer in pitching duel… and faces third loss of season
‘Korean Monster’ Ryu Hyun-jin, 36, of the Toronto Blue Jays, pitched a masterpiece against ‘legend’ Max Scherzer in his quest for his fourth win of the season against the Texas Rangers.
Ryu has allowed two runs on three hits, one home run, one walk, and two strikeouts through five innings in his start against the Texas Rangers in the 2023 Major League Baseball World Series at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on Wednesday (June 13).
It was a clean start. Ryu walked Texas leadoff hitter Marcus Semien in the first inning. He got the first out easily, inducing a foul pop fly to the first baseman with a 138-mph sinker.
He fought a full count against No. 2 hitter Corey Seager and got him to ground out to second base. He drove a 145-mph fastball to the body, taking Seeger’s timing off and sending him back to the dugout.
Against No. 3 hitter Robbie Grossman, the pitch was suddenly shaky. A two-strike count led to a full count, and a seven-pitch, 124-mph changeup was no match for Grossman’s bat, leading to the first out.
But Ryu wasn’t rattled. He got the next batter, Mitch Garber, on a foul pop fly to the catcher. With one strike, he threw a 142-mph fastball up in the zone to end the inning.
Ryu continued his dominance in the top of the second. He got leadoff hitter Jonah Lim to ground out to third base. On a tricky pitch, Toronto third baseman Cavan Biggio played solid defense to help Ryu.
With a weight off his shoulders, Ryu got Nate Lowe to fly out to left field to extend the count. On a two-pitch, two-strike at-bat, he stuck a 145-mph fastball to the side of the body to prevent contact in the center of the plate.
Two batters later, Ryu sent Ezequiel Duran back to the dugout. On a two-ball, two-strike count, he threw a 104-mph slow curveball that completely took away his timing. Ryu’s command of his pitches was on full display.
Ryu shut down Texas in the top of the third. He got leadoff hitter Roeddy Taveras to pop out to first base and Jonathan Onelas to ground out to short. Marcus Sherman needed just three pitches. He got two strikes and then induced a grounder to shortstop on a 140-mph outside cut fastball.
The cruising Ryu faltered in the top of the fourth. He gave up a leadoff single to Seager to break up his no-hitter, then promptly gave up a two-run homer to Grossman. His first pitch, a 139 mph cut fastball, was not a live pitch, but Grossman was able to get a good look at it. 메이저사이트
However, Ryu quickly settled down after the homer. He got Garber to ground out to shortstop to get a breather and didn’t falter after getting Haim to fly out to left-center. He got Lowe to fly out to center and Duran to ground out to shortstop to end the inning.
The Toronto offense hasn’t been able to support Ryu. They’ve been held scoreless by Scherzer through five innings and are down 0-2. Despite his strong outing, Ryu is on the verge of losing his third game of the season instead of his fourth.