The Toronto Blue Jays posted interesting photos on the club’s SNS on the 26th (hereinafter Korean time).
These are the photos taken prior to the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on the 25th, when Ryu Hyun-jin visited the Dodger Stadium. Ryu Hyun-jin joined the big league team after finishing the minor league rehabilitation process. Toronto will play three consecutive games with the Dodgers until the 27th.
What really stands out is the photo of him posing with Clayton Kershaw. The two patted each other on the back and posed affectionately.
It seems that Ryu Hyun-jin and Kershaw met at the baseball field for the first time since Ryu Hyun-jin moved to Toronto in 2020. It is the first time in four years since 2019 that Toronto and the Dodgers face off, and Toronto and Dodgers have different spring training camps in Florida and Arizona, respectively.
When Ryu Hyun-jin arrived at Dodger Stadium and showed up, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and former teammates such as Kershaw and Max Muncy greeted and hugged each other.
The photo of him posing with Kershaw is especially eye-catching because they are both in the final stages of rehabilitation. A return is expected at a similar time in early August.
First of all, Ryu Hyun-jin plans to play a simulation game against fellow batters before returning after bullpen pitching at Dodger Stadium on the 27th. Although he has already received a passing score in the minor leagues, Toronto seems to have decided that it is necessary to directly check Ryu Hyun-jin’s actual pitch and speed. Here, we need to find out the right time for Ryu Hyun-jin to join the Toronto rotation, but it seems that it has been passed to August.
Toronto coach John Schneider said to MLB.com on the 26th, “Ryu Hyun-jin’s return is pretty close. He’s in good condition. More clear information will come out after tomorrow’s bullpen pitching.”
Toronto is scheduled to start a 6-man rotation in a 17-game series without a day off from the 29th, and it is highly likely that Hyun-jin Ryu will enter the Baltimore Orioles on August 3, the next appearance of Kevin Gaussman against the Los Angeles Angels on the 29th. see.
On the 22nd, Ryu Hyun-jin threw 85 pitches on the Triple A mound, raising his fastball restraint to a maximum of 90.8 miles and an average of 88.4 miles. He came just short of his average velocity of 89.3 mph before Tommy John surgery.스포츠토토
Kershaw is on the injured list this season. He was placed on the disabled list on June 28, after pitching six innings against the Colorado Rockies, complaining of soreness in his left shoulder. Since then, Kershaw, who has been undergoing treatment, rest, and rehabilitation, has recently started bullpen pitching.
Kershaw was originally scheduled to face hitters in a simulation game on the 25th, but plans changed after his second bullpen pitching last week. Simulation pitching is expected this weekend. Kershaw’s expected return is the first week of August. He is on the mound in the big leagues at the same time as Ryu Hyun-jin.
Since his major league debut, Ryu Hyun-jin has been on the injured list 13 times, including two surgeries, and Kershaw has been on the injured list 12 times. Regarding his injury, it is ‘same as the same’.
In 2013, when Ryu Hyun-jin joined the Dodgers, Kershaw was an ace, and Ryu Hyun-jin served as the third starter following Zack Greinke. That year, he went 14-8 and posted an earned run average of 3.00, instantly becoming an ace-class pitcher. Ryu Hyun-jin, who continued his momentum in 2014 with 14 wins and an average ERA of 3.38, took a gap of nearly two years while undergoing shoulder surgery in 2015.
After transferring to Toronto for $80 million in 4 years, he played an ace role through 2020 and the first half of 2021, followed by a downward trend. And in June of last year, he underwent left elbow surgery and had to rehabilitate for more than a year.