Left-handed pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin, 36, of the Toronto Blue Jays, continued to pitch well in his third rehab start as he pushes for a return to Major League Baseball (MLB) later this month.
Ryu made a start against the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens (affiliated with the Detroit Tigers) at Salmon Field in Buffalo, N.Y., on Sept. 16, allowing one run on three hits over five innings.
He threw 66 pitches, one more than planned, with 46 for strikes. He struck out five.
It was Ryu’s first time on the mound at Salmon Field in two years, as it served as an alternate home for the 2020-2021 season when Toronto was unable to play at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada, due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
In the top of the first inning, Ryu gave up a home run to Justin Henry Mulroy over the left-center field wall. It was his first home run in a rehab start.
After retiring the next two batters on a grounder and a strikeout to end the first inning, Hyun-Jin Ryu struck out three in the second and third innings to end the inning.
In the fourth inning, after giving up back-to-back singles to load the bases, Ryu got Joan Camargo to ground out to third, second, and first.
In the fifth inning, he worked out of a bases-loaded jam with two walks and a strikeout.
Ryu, who had surgery on his left elbow last June, returned to the mound earlier this month after a lengthy rehabilitation and has been increasing his innings pitched.
On May 5, he made his first start since undergoing elbow ligament reconstruction surgery in the Rookie League, allowing one run on four hits with five strikeouts in three innings.
On Tuesday, he pitched four scoreless innings in Single-A, striking out three and walking one.
The next day, he was promoted two levels to Triple-A to face more experienced hitters and pitched a flawless game, minus one home run, to accelerate his return to MLB. 메이저토토사이트
In all three games, Bisons catcher Stevie Berman worked with Ryu to closely monitor his pitches.
His pitch count has been increasing from 42 to 37 to 66 pitches per outing, and if he reaches 85 pitches in his next outing, he will be promoted to the big leagues.
In three minor league games, Ryu has a 1.80 ERA.