When Hyun-jin Ryu (36, Toronto Blue Jays) made his comeback, the Major League Baseball (MLB) world was awash in praise. It was an accomplishment that came after two surgeries and more than a year of rehabilitation.

Ryu started the 2023 MLB Baseball World Series home game against the Chicago Cubs at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on Thursday (June 14), allowing two runs (unearned) on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts over five innings. Ryu led Toronto to an 11-4 blowout victory in the early going. It was Ryu’s first win in 444 days since May 27 last year against the Los Angeles Angels. It was his first win in his third start.

Ryu’s baseball career has been more turbulent in Major League Baseball (MLB) than it was in the KBO. In the KBO, he was labeled the “lone ace” due to the weakness of his team, but he never lost the title of the best pitcher in the league. While he reached the pinnacle of his career in the MLB, where he was a three-time Cy Young Award finalist and an All-Star Game starter, he had to undergo two surgeries and rehabilitation. He had shoulder surgery in 2015 and elbow surgery last year.

Ryu is now well into his mid-30s. Ryu’s “comeback story”-the veteran’s determination to make a comeback and his victorious return to the field-has made a strong impression in the United States.

Buck Martinez, a commentator for the Toronto game on Sportsnet, said, “Considering that he was hit in the right knee by a pitch in his last game (against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Aug. 8), his performance against the Cubs was really impressive,” adding, “He only faced two batters and showed a ‘vintage Ryu’ look.

The local newspaper Toronto Sun said, “Ryu made a pitch that the team really needed. He’s on the verge of being cleared to pitch against the Cubs.”

Cubs manager David Ross said, “He’s a hard pitcher to score a lot of runs when you lose the lead. His velocity is still not where it should be, but he can still pitch (to win). His changeup was particularly good tonight.”

Toronto manager John Schneider said, “He’s shown flashes of his pre-injury form in his first three games back. It’s never easy to do that at his age, and I don’t think he did. He threw some really good stuff.”

With the win, Ryu broke the record for the oldest start by a Korean-born big league pitcher. The previous record was 35 years, 10 months, and 13 days, set by “Korean Express” Chan Ho Park, who picked up the win against the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 13. Ryu is 36 years, 4 months, and 20 days old as of Thursday.

The Toronto club welcomed the return of the ace by posting a number of photos and videos on its official social media accounts. “444 days of patience and hard work. Congratulations and welcome to the victory,” they wrote. He also added the words ‘Congratulations’ in Korean.온라인카지노

Ryu expressed his confidence after the game, saying, “(Now) I think I’m back to where I want to be.”