Another day, another home run. For the fourth straight game, Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Hyun-jin Ryu has allowed a home run.
Ryu took the mound against the Texas Rangers in the 2023 Major League Baseball World Series at Rogers Centre in Canada on Wednesday.
Ryu threw 82 pitches through the sixth inning, allowing three runs on five hits, including a home run. Ryu took the loss as his team fell 3-6. He improved to 3-3 on the season and raised his ERA from 2.65 to 2.93.
The quality starts are encouraging, but the home runs are troubling. Ryu has only gone eight games without a home run.
It had been 480 days since Ryu had a quality start since May 21, 2022, when he threw six scoreless innings against the Cincinnati Reds. He hadn’t pitched more than five innings since returning from Tommy John surgery, so it’s a positive that he made it to the sixth inning.
However, Ryu has been hit by six home runs in eight games. That’s a whopping 1.35 home runs per nine innings. That’s the 12th-highest rate among the 49 pitchers who have pitched at least nine innings in the major leagues this season.
If Ryu throws 162 innings, he’s on pace for 24-25 home runs. Ryu faced 24 homers in 2021, the only time in his career that his ERA exceeded 4 (not including 2016, when he went 14-10 with a 4.37 ERA in 31 games and 169 innings pitched). His home run pace alone matches or exceeds his worst season.
Ryu was pitching well against Texas when he was suddenly hit by a home run. He had pitched a near-perfect third inning without allowing a hit, but in the top of the fourth, he gave up a leadoff single and a home run to the next batter. A bases-loaded, 85.7-mph fastball to Robbie Grossman led off the inning with a home run.
According to the gameday graphic provided by Major League Baseball’s official website, it wasn’t a line drive to center field. It was relatively close to the body. But the height was ambiguous. It was medium-high. It wasn’t even close to the plate, so if the batter was looking to hit it toward the body, it could have been hit.스포츠토토
Since his return, Ryu has been lauded for his magical delivery despite his slow velocity, reversing the “fastball revolution”. However, home runs are the last thing a pitcher wants to give up, as they can quickly lead to big runs and change the outcome of a game.