grapplegraphics.com The Korean Monster, Ryu Hyun-jin, 36, of the Toronto Blue Jays, will try to snap his team’s losing streak and get his first win of the season.먹튀검증
Ryu Hyun-jin will start the 2023 Major League Baseball home game against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday at 2:37 a.m. ET at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
He will be looking for his first win of the season once again against the Cubs. In his first big league start in a year and two months against the Baltimore Orioles on 2 February, Ryu took the loss after allowing four runs on nine hits in five innings. However, in his second start against Cleveland, he pitched much better, tossing a no-hitter over four innings before leaving the game with an injury.
With his current club, Toronto, in the midst of a three-game losing streak after dropping two of three to the Cubs, Ryu has a lot on his shoulders.
The Cubs, in particular, have a number of hitters who could provide interesting match-ups for Ryu. One of them is Cody Bellinger, who used to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Ryu and Bellinger played together for three years with the Dodgers, starting in 2017.
Bellinger had a stellar 2019 season, winning the National League MVP, but his subsequent struggles led to his release from the Dodgers last November.
Since signing a one-year, $17.5 million deal with the Cubs, Bellinger has made a complete comeback, earning National League Player of the Month honours. So far this season, he’s bouncing back with a .331 average, 18 home runs, 59 RBIs, and a .941 OPS.
Cody Bellinger, Hyun-jin Ryu’s power hitter. AP=News
Add to that the fact that Mike Tuckman, who played for the Hanwha Eagles in the KBO, is now in a Cubs uniform.
Tuckman hit .289 with 12 home runs and 43 RBIs for Hanwha in the KBO last year.
Ryu made his professional debut with Hanwha in 2006 and played until the 2012 season before moving on to the major leagues, so he doesn’t have a personal connection to Tuckman. However, the matchup between former and current Hanwha players will be a big draw.
The Cubs also have Japanese slugger Seiya Suzuki on their roster, so there’s a good chance we could see a mini-Japan-Korea game.
With Tuckman batting leadoff, Bellinger batting fourth, and Suzuki in the bottom of the order, Ryu will have to face at least one of them every inning.
Ryu will need to keep Tuckman off the basepaths to make it easier for him to face Bellinger in centre field. The bottom of the order will need to be wary of Suzuki. Suzuki doesn’t have a high batting average this season at .255, but he does pack a punch with 10 home runs.