The goal of the Toronto Blue Jays is getting bigger and bigger. ‘Hyun-Jin Ryu’ Alec Manoa (25) fired a signal flare with a clean pitch. In addition, the real Ryu Hyun-jin (36) is about to return, so there is a lot of anticipation for strengthening the starting lineup.메이저놀이터
Manoa started as a starting pitcher in the ‘2023 Major League Baseball’ match against the Detroit Tigers held at Comerica Field in Detroit, Michigan, USA on the 8th (Korean time).
Manoa recorded 16 wins, 7 losses and 196⅔ innings with a 2.24 ERA last year, ranking third in the American League Cy Young Award. He was expected to break the shell of a promising player and take on an axis in the team’s starting lineup, but he did not grow as much as expected.
Until this day, it had been sluggish with an average ERA of 6.36 in 13 games, 1 win, 7 losses, and 58 innings this year, and since the New York Yankees match on April 23, it has failed to make a single quality start (less than 3 earned runs in 6 starting innings) in 8 appearances, and is in recession. did.
Eventually, Toronto pulled the knife and sent Manoa to the minor leagues for an adjustment period. After that, he went through the Rookie League and Double A for a month and worked hard to recover his pitch, and returned to the big leagues by starting the game that day.
Did going to the minor leagues work? Unlike before, Manoa showed good pitching as a starting pitcher. Although he faltered, such as allowing 1 run in the bottom of the 3rd inning, it was a generally clean performance. His final performance was 6 innings, 5 hits, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts and 1 run. He contributed to the team’s 10-2 win and won 2 wins (7 losses) in the season. His earned run average dropped to 5.91 from 6.36.
Toronto extinguished the fire with the return of Manoa, who had regained a sense of stability. The team took a vacant spot as a bullpen day after Manoa was removed from the starting lineup. As a result, there were concerns about the overload of the pitching staff, but since Manoa is gradually recovering his performance, the starting staff will be able to breathe.
In addition, Ryu Hyun-jin is about to return.
According to sports media such as ‘The Athletic’, Ryu Hyun-jin plans to make his second rehabilitation appearance in Single A on the 10th. On the 5th, in the first rehabilitation game (Rookie League), he threw 42 pitches against 13 batters and recorded 3 innings, 4 hits, 5 strikeouts, 4 walks, 1 run, and a maximum speed of 88 miles per hour (about 141.6 km), announcing a smooth start. After that, I am gradually improving my body condition. If rehabilitation proceeds without a hitch as it is now, he will return to the big leagues at the end of this month.
Naturally, Toronto’s goals are getting bigger and bigger. Kevin Gaussman, Jose Berrios, Chris Bassitt, Yusei Kikuchi, Alec Manoa, and Ryu Hyun-jin can be added to the existing five starters to form a thicker starting lineup.
Toronto is currently fighting fiercely for a spot in the postseason. It is essential to strengthen the starting lineup even for the 3rd place wild card shooter and beyond, which is the last line capable of fall baseball. And the end is the return of pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin, who has been proven.
Due to Manoa, who showed off a different pitch, Toronto is gradually building a complete team. And even Ryu Hyun-jin is spurring his comeback. Now that everything is going according to plan, Toronto’s goals are growing.