Ryu Hyun-jin, who has been sidelined by injury, is making his presence felt in an unexpected area.
Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider explained a lineup change he made the day before for the final game of a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, on Saturday.
The day before, Toronto moved Vladimir Guerrero Jr. from designated hitter to first base to pinch-hit in the bottom of the eighth inning. Guerrero Jr. played 메이저사이트 the remaining two innings, and the team batted in the top of the ninth with a pitcher in the lineup. With the pitcher at the plate, the team used a pinch-hitter.
Moving a designated hitter to defense is not a choice you make lightly, as it hurts your offense. It’s usually only done in extreme circumstances, such as when bench resources are depleted and a defensive void must be filled.
Schneider, who made the unusual call, said it was “planned.” “With the lead in the eighth inning, we had enough bench resources (to bring in a pinch-hitter) and we wanted to put our best defender on,” he said, explaining that the choice was made to take advantage of Guerrero Jr.’s defensive ability.
Having voluntarily chosen to return to the old National League style of play, he was asked, “Who’s the best ballplayer in the game?
He thought for a moment, and then said, “Other than Ryu, it would be either Gaussman or Bassitt.”
Ryu was batting before the National League introduced the designated hitter. In his career, he’s 38-for-217 (.175) with one home run, 12 doubles, 12 RBIs, 96 walks, and 32 sacrifice bunts. He’s not a Silver Slugger, but he’s not terrible either.
Considering that fellow starters like Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassett, and Jose Berrios have spent the majority of their careers in the American League, which has a designated hitter system, it’s not surprising that Ryu’s name came up first.
Ryu, who is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, is aiming for a late-season return. He will throw a live BP on Friday at the club’s training facility in Dunedin, Florida.
Meanwhile, Toronto has announced the starting order for its three-game series against Texas this weekend, with Gaussman, a bullpen game, and Bassett in the order. Gaussman will start on four days’ rest, while Bassitt will do the opposite with an extra day of rest.
“We wanted to give Gaussman five days between starts, and we wanted to get the most out of both of them against a good team,” Schneider said, describing it as a “pretty easy decision.