“104km dazzling curveball…Ryu is different from normal pitchers, he checks how slow it is” US pitching experts are also impressed

In the era of the fastball revolution, Ryu Hyun-jin (36-Toronto Blue Jays) has revitalized the slowball. Ryu is proving that a pitcher’s lifeblood is not his velocity, but his accuracy and timing.

Hyun-jin Ryu pitched five innings of four-hit ball, striking out five and walking none while allowing three runs (two earned)스포츠토토 in Toronto’s 8-3 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

He gave up two runs on two solo homers to Jose Ramirez in the first and Tyler Freeman in the fifth, but was efficient on 60 pitches through five innings. A leadoff single and back-to-back errors in the sixth left him stranded with the bases loaded, but he threw 70 pitches for his first no-hitter of the season.

With his third straight win, Ryu improved to 3-1 on the season and lowered his ERA to 2.25. Since returning from Tommy John surgery 14 months ago, the right-hander has won three of his first five games, signaling his resurgence with a sub-2 ERA.

“104km dazzling curve, Ryu’s restraint check is fun” Pitching experts are also impressed

Ryu’s total pitch count for the day was 70, with 49 strikes and 21 balls. He threw an even mix of four-seam fastballs (29), changeups (19), curves (13), and cutters (9) with a steady command with a 70% strike rate. All four pitches were effective enough to be used as decisive pitches for strikeouts.

His four-seam fastball topped out at 90.8 mph (146.1 km/h) and averaged 88.2 mph (141.9 km/h), but he used his slower changeup and even slower curveball to throw hitters off their timing. The changeup and curve induced eight swings and misses, four each, with the latter averaging just 64.6 mph (104.0 km/h). It proved decisive when he struck out left-hander Andres Jimenez on a swinging strike in the fourth inning. Jimenez’s bat followed the curveball as it dropped in a parabolic motion.

[Photo] Ryu Hyun-jin of the Toronto Blue Jays. ⓒGettyimages (All rights reserved)

[Photo] Toronto Blue Jays Ryu Hyun-jin (right) and Danny Jansen. ⓒGettyimages (All rights reserved)

This moment caught the eye of Rob Friedman, a “pitching ninja” known for analyzing major league pitching. Friedman posted a video of Jimenez’s strikeout on social media, writing, “That’s a dazzling 64.6 mph curveball from Ryu. It’s the slowest curveball a starter has induced a swinging strike on all season.

Friedman continued, “It’s fun to watch Ryu’s velocity. Most pitchers look at how fast he throws it, but he looks at how slow he throws it,” he said, praising Ryu’s specialty in an era that relies on fastballs to win games.

Since returning from injury, Ryu’s curveball has become as powerful as his changeup. A changeup that epitomizes the aesthetic of slowness, the curveball has been Ryu’s fourth or fifth pitch. This year, however, he has thrown it 18.6 percent of the time, the second-highest rate in his first 10 seasons in the majors. His 70.1 mph (112.8 km/h) average slower curveball has a 36.1 percent swinging strike rate, which is good for just a 1.1 percent strikeout rate. It’s a pitch that has a high risk of giving up long balls if it’s not in play or read, but Ryu has been able to overcome that with his command and pitch mix. The only long ball he allowed was to Freeman in the fifth inning, and he is hitting just .195 against curveballs.

[Photo] Ryu Hyun-jin of the Toronto Blue Jays. ⓒGettyimages (All rights reserved)

[Photo] Ryu Hyun-jin of the Toronto Blue Jays. ⓒGettyimages (All rights reserved)

Ryu’s 14-month return to command didn’t surprise him.

It was his second Tommy John surgery in his late mid-30s. He had successfully overcome shoulder labral surgery, which has only a 7% chance of rehabilitation, but this time, he thought it would be difficult to make a real comeback. However, Ryu was convinced that he could make a comeback as long as his body was healthy, and within five games of his comeback, he announced his resurrection to the public.

Since returning to the major league mound 14 months after rehabbing from Tommy John surgery last June, Ryu has gone 3-1 with a 2.25 ERA and 1.00 WHIP. While he has yet to throw more than six innings due to managerial reasons, he has pitched a total of 24 innings, allowing 19 hits (three home runs) with five walks and 20 strikeouts. He’s allowed two earned runs or less in four straight starts since giving up four runs in five innings against the Baltimore Orioles on April 2 in his comeback.

Ryu Hyun-jin. /Toronto Blue Jays SNS

Ryu Hyun-jin. /Toronto Blue Jays SNS

While his fastball velocity hasn’t returned to pre-surgery levels, his command is back to full strength. While it typically takes 18 months for a pitcher who has undergone Tommy John surgery to get back to full strength in terms of velocity and delivery, Hyun-jin Ryu was able to return to form four months earlier.

According to Canada’s Sportsnet, after the game, Ryu said of his command recovery, “Honestly, I’m not surprised. The most important thing is that my body is healthy. I feel good, so I can do what I need to do to throw my pitches.”

Toronto manager John Schneider said, “Ryu pitched a great game. He was efficient and had really good location. Today’s hitters are used to fastballs, but Ryu utilizes both inside and outside pitches. It’s not the type of pitch you see a lot these days, but he’s been really good at it throughout his career.” /waw@osen.co.kr

Ryu Hyun-jin / Toronto Blue Jays Social Media

Ryu Hyun-jin. /Toronto Blue Jays SNS

In the era of the fastball revolution, Ryu Hyun-jin (36-Toronto Blue Jays) has revitalized the slowball. Ryu is proving that a pitcher’s lifeblood is not his velocity, but his accuracy and timing. Hyun-jin Ryu pitched five innings of four-hit ball, striking out five and walking none while allowing three runs (two earned)스포츠토토 in Toronto’s 8-3…