Ryu Hyun-jin (36, Toronto Blue Jays), who demolished opposing batters with his 100-kilometer-per-hour “Arirang curveball,” says he’d like to give his curve a score of 100.
Ryu pitched five innings of two runs (unearned), four hits, one walk and seven strikeouts against the visiting Cincinnati Reds in the 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB) game at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S., on April 21 온라인바카라(local time), improving to 2-1 on the season.
He met with the local media after the game and when asked, “How many points would you give to the curveball you threw today,” he replied, “100 out of 100.
“I thought my opponent was going to be very aggressive,” he said, explaining why he used the slow curveball so often as his deciding pitch, “so I tried to get the count early, and it worked.”
“We threw the ball thinking that our hitters could score some runs,” Ryu added.
On the day, Ryu threw 38 fastballs, 18 changeups, 16 curves, and 11 cut fastballs.
His curveball was impressive in each of those games.
Ryu teased hitters with a slow curveball in the 100 mph range, not even in the 110-120 mph range.
His fifth-inning confrontation with Eli De La Cruz, Cincinnati’s “monster rookie,” was the highlight.
Facing Cruz with runners on first and second, Ryu threw a 66.8 mph (107.5 km/h) “arirang curveball” on a two-strike count for a groundout.
Cruz was stunned by a curveball that looked like something you’d see in an elementary school baseball game.
Local media had high praise for the play.
MLB.com called it “a clever pitch that got him out of trouble.”
Toronto manager John Schneider also had nothing but praise for Ryu.
“He took advantage of their aggressiveness,” Schneider told the local media after the game, “He was really, really good.”
“He’s a guy who knows how to pitch,” said teammate Brandon Belt, who hit back-to-back home runs as the designated hitter, “It doesn’t matter what kind of changeup he has. He knows how to throw the ball and he throws it fast, and it’s a lot of fun to play with him.”