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| ▲ In this Associated Press photo, Ryu Hyun-jin of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches against the Seattle Mariners in the top of the first inning of a Major League Baseball regular season game at Sahlen Field in Buffalo, New York, on July 1, 2021. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ In this USA Today Sports photo via Reuters, Ryu Hyun-jin of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches against the Seattle Mariners in the top of the first inning of a Major League Baseball regular season game at Sahlen Field in Buffalo, New York, on July 1, 2021. (Yonhap) |
MLB-pitcher
Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin surrenders 2 homers in loss to Mariners
By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, July 2 (Yonhap) -- Ryu Hyun-jin of the Toronto Blue Jays served up two home runs as his personal two-game winning streak came to an end, unable to carry Canada's only major league club to a victory on Canada Day.
The South Korean left-hander allowed five runs -- one unearned on seven hits in four innings in a 7-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners at Sahlen Field in Buffalo, New York, on Thursday (local time). Both home runs and five of seven hits came from left-handed hitters. Ryu hadn't surrendered any home run to left-handed batters all season before this game.
Ryu dropped to 7-5 for the year, and his ERA rose from 3.41 to 3.65. The bullpen took over to begin the fifth inning, with the Jays trailing 5-1.
Ryu failed to complete five innings for only the second time in 16 starts this year. On April 25 against the Tampa Bay Rays, Ryu lasted 3 2/3 innings before taking himself out with what turned out to be right glute strain.
This was Ryu's first career start against the Mariners, and leadoff man J.P. Crawford greeted Ryu with a double down the right field line to start the chaotic first inning.
A follow-up single by Mitch Haniger put runners at the corners. Then Crawford scored the game's first run on a ground ball to third base by Kyle Seager.
And Haniger advanced to third when first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. missed the throw from third baseman Santiago Espinal. Seager was credited with a single and an error was charged to Guerrero on the play.
Ty France's sacrifice fly put the Mariners ahead 2-0. Ryu retired the next two batters to get out of the inning, but only after throwing 28 pitches.
Ryu got two quick outs in the second inning, before No. 9 hitter Jake Fraley drilled a 2-2 changeup over the right field wall for a solo home run
Ryu put himself into more trouble by giving up a walk and a single, though Seager bailed him out by grounding into a force out.
Ryu's misadventures continued in the third, when Shed Long Jr. hammered a two-out, two-run shot to right-center field.
A single by Fraley to begin the fourth meant Ryu didn't have any three-up, three-down inning in this game.
The veteran left-hander hasn't been himself since closing out the month of May with a 5-2 record and a 2.62 ERA. He was 2-2 with a 4.88 ERA in five starts in June, and the same command issues appear to have followed Ryu into July.
The Blue Jays would normally have played this Canada Day game at Rogers Centre in Toronto. But the Canada-U.S. border remains closed to non-essential travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the itinerant Blue Jays have been forced to play their "home" games elsewhere. They began this season at TD Ballpark, their Single-A home in Dunedin, Florida, and then relocated to Sahlen Field, their Triple-A park, in June. The Blue Jays spent the entire 2020 season at Sahlen Field, too.
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