Ryu Hyun-jin gets third straight win as Blue Jays beat Guardians

Ryu Hyun-jin of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches in the first inning of a game against the Cleveland Guardians at Rogers Centre in Toronto on Saturday. [AFP/YONHAP]

Ryu Hyun-jin picked up his third win of the 2023 MLB season on Saturday, leading the Toronto Blue Jays to an 8-3 victory over the Cleveland Guardians to snap a three-game losing streak.

Ryu pitched five full innings at Rogers Centre in Toronto, giving up three runs, two earned, and four hits while striking out five.

Ryu started shaky, giving up a home run to only the second batter he faced, Jose Ramirez on a solo long fly to left field. The Korean veteran rallied quickly, holding things down until the top of the fifth when Tyler Freeman managed another homer.

He stayed in at the top of the sixth but fell short of a quality start when Oscar Gonzalez made it home on a fielding error.

The Blue Jays had been busy, meanwhile, with three runs at the bottom of first for an early lead, adding two more in the fourth and three more in the seventh to secure the win.

Saturday's start was only Ryu's fifth of the season. The 36-year-old was sidelined midway through last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, spending a year out before returning to the Blue Jays on Aug. 1.

He took a loss in his first game and then took a no decision in his second appearance, before rallying for three straight wins over the last three starts.

That leaves Ryu with a 2.25 ERA on the season so far with three wins and one loss while striking out 20 over 24 innings pitched.

Those numbers — admittedly still over a short period of time — hint at a possible return to Ryu's banner performance in his debut season with the Blue Jays in 2020, when he posted a 2.69 ERA with five wins and two losses. That form dipped in the following years, with a 4.37 ERA in 2021 and a 5.67 ERA over six starts before his injury last year.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]