Ryu comes back to Korea for preseason training

Ryu Hyun-jin has come back to Korea in flying “blue” colors. Having signed a four-year, 80-million-dollar deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, the Korean starting pitcher of the Major League Baseball visited South Korea on Monday after finishing the joining ceremony for his new team.

The hair caught the attention, which turned bluish from the previous yellow tone. The choice of color was for his new team Toronto whose color of symbol is blue. It was rather hard to tell from pictures, but Ryu stressed his changed hair color. It wasn’t just his hair that has changed. Joining Toronto in the third biggest FA deal in the club’s history, Ryu is likely to become No. 1 starting pitcher of the Blue Jays.

Toronto faces some tough competitors in the East Division of American League such as the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. Every batter is a threat for the pitcher as the American League has designated hitters. Ryu was confident, however. “There might be come differences. But I have experiences with designated hitters in the KBO, so it would be manageable,” Ryu said. “I will focus more on precision of my pitching with the skills I’ve already got instead of trying to change too much.”

Many things have changed, but his routine will continue. As a seasoned pitcher with eight years of experience in the Big League, Ryu will prepare for the new season based on his knowhow accumulated over the years. He will proceed with a light exercise such as weight training and interval throwing program in Korea until early January, before flying to Okinawa in mid-January to warm up in earnest with live pitching sessions. Afterwards, he will go back to the U.S. to join the Spring Camp with his new teammates.


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