For Toronto Blue Jays starter Ryu Hyun-jin (35), 2022 was a brutal year. He suffered from an elbow injury from the beginning of the season, and eventually headed to the operating table shortly after. The result was his second Tommy John surgery. It was 2022 when I entered the long tunnel of rehabilitation again.
2022 season summary
6 games 2 wins undefeated ERA 5.67 (27 innings, 17 ERA) WHIP 1.333, 1.7 homers per 9 innings, 1.3 walks, 5.3 strikeouts
After recovering from shoulder surgery in 2017, he has been running like crazy, throwing 627 2/3 innings in five seasons. It's time for him to get rid of it again. An elbow injury is an unavoidable fate for a pitcher. He said, “I have been coping with it, but this time it was very difficult.” “There is no way to do it. He admitted that it was an unavoidable injury, saying, “It was not even a part that could be avoided by being careful.”
If there is one thing Ryu Hyun-jin did wrong, it is that he threw too much. In his last appearance, a home game against the Chicago White Sox, he recorded his 1000th major league career inning. This is the second record for a Korean pitcher after Park Chan-ho (1993 innings). If Park Chan-ho's record was entirely made only in the major leagues, Ryu Hyun-jin's record was set after pitching 1269 innings in Korea. He is the only player to throw more than 1,000 innings in both the Korean and American leagues.
Toronto was not greatly shaken by the departure of Ryu Hyun-jin from injury. Ross Stripling threw 134 1/3 innings and recorded a 10-4 record with an ERA of 3.01, making up for what Ryu Hyun-jin could not do. The team made the postseason, but had to turn around after losing to the Seattle Mariners in the Wild Card Series. Following 2020, he was eliminated in the first round once again.
In 2023, Ryu Hyun-jin is facing a fierce fight with rehabilitation. The recovery period for Tommy John surgery is 12 to 18 months. 무료스포츠중계 There's a lot of variation from player to player. And 2023 is the last year of a four-year contract with Toronto. In the best case, a comeback in the second half is possible, but in the worst case, Toronto may not pitch a game and be thrown into the free agency market. There is a variable that is a considerable age in the mid-thirties and the second operation. Ryu Hyun-jin had previously experienced frustration while trying to return after shoulder surgery in 2016. The nightmare of that time should not be repeated.
His greatest enemy is himself. Right-hander Mike Clevinger, who returned in May after undergoing second Tommy John surgery in November 2020, confessed that “the biggest problem is overcoming mental difficulties,” and that the most difficult part of the rehabilitation process was overcoming mental stress. “The biggest challenge was fighting the fear of 'I might never throw again' or 'I might never get my ball back'. As he started throwing the ball and started realizing, 'My ball is still the same,' everything started to fall into place,” he said, fearlessness and winning the check here fight were the most important things.
Ryu Hyun-jin also said, “I will hold it for 12 months and proceed (rehabilitation). I think I can throw it by this time next year if I fit it there. I have the idea that I can do it enough,” he said, expressing his will to think of the best case and work on rehabilitation.