On the morning of Chuseok, major leaguers Hyunjin Ryu and Gwanghyun Kim will be selected at the same time.
Ryu Hyun-jin will appear as a starting pitcher in the second leg of the American League Wildcard series against the Tampa Bay Race at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, at 5 am on October 1.
On the same day, at 6 am, Kim Kwang-hyun starts in the first leg of the National League Wildcard series at Petco Park, San Diego, California, and faces San Diego Padres.
Toronto gave'Ace' Hyun-jin Ryu another day.
St.Louis chose to take the first game of fall baseball to rookie Kim Kwang-hyun.
A'day' that will remain in Korean baseball history was born between the two teams' prudence and unpredictability.
This is the first time that a Korean pitcher starts side-by-side on the same day in a major league postseason.
Toronto director Charlie Monteyo unveiled the wildcard series selection rotation in an interview with local media such as MLB.com on the 29th.
MLB.com said, "The starting game for the first game is Matt Shoemaker, not Ace Hyun-jin Ryu. Hyun-jin Ryu is in charge of the second game.
This means that Toronto chose a strategy that puts more emphasis on the second game, not the precision engineering method.
"The goal for the 3rd 2nd win series is to win 2 first," said Montoya. "It's reasonable enough to put our ace (Ryu Hyunjin) in the middle of the series. Also, since our bullpen has sufficiently rested, we actively take a break. He explained the background of choosing Ryu Hyun-jin as the selection for the second game, saying, "You can put it in."
There is also an intention to give Ryu Hyun-jin another day of rest.
Ryu Hyun-jin appeared against the New York Yankees on the 25th and threw 100 balls, the most personal this season, with 5 hits in 7 innings without a run.
As the first pitch in the postseason was pushed to the second leg, Ryu Hyun-jin rested for five days and climbed onto the mound.
Ryu Hyun-jin threw well with an average of 2.74 wins and an ERA in the match on the 4th of this year.
In the starter game after 5 days off, he threw better with an ERA of 3-2 and an ERA of 2.29.
As coach Monteyo said, the second leg is very important in the short-term match with three wins.
If Toronto wins the first leg, Hyun-jin Ryu has to play the role of winning the team's Wildcard series.
On the contrary, if the team loses 1 and starts the 2nd game, they feel a heavy responsibility to prevent dropouts.
St. Louis leaves the first game to'Rookie' Kim Kwang-hyun.
The National League starts the wildcard series on October 1, one day later than the American League.
St. Louis coach Mike Silt revealed in an interview with the MLB Network that "Kim Kwang-hyun will start in the first game."
The reason was simple.
"It's because Kim Gwang-hyun threw well this season," Silt said.
Adam Wainwright in the second game and Jack Flaherty in the third game.
Kim Gwang-Hyun made a big success with an average ERA of 1.62 in 3 wins and 1 save in 2020, the first year to advance into the major leagues.
In the starter game, he pitched better with a 3-win average of 1.42 ERA.
From 2007 when he was a rookie in the KBO League to 2019, just before leaving for the United States, Kim Gwang-hyun played countless fall baseball, but opening the major league fall feast is a very special experience for him.
As St.Louis unprecedentedly put Kim Gwang-hyun as the first starter, Korean baseball fans are also celebrating a special Chuseok.
Ryu Hyun-jin and Kim Gwang-hyun won a companion start on September 25th.
It was a record of'starting wins with Korean pitchers' after 15 years after Park Chan-ho (then San Diego) and Seo Jae-eung (then New York Mets) on August 25, 2005.
On the first day of October and the day of Chuseok 2020, the two are holding a bigger event.
Many baseball fans are waiting for Chuseok, hoping for'the first Korean major leaguer postseason starter win in history'.
(Photo = Toronto Blue Jays Twitter Capture, Yonhap News, Getty Image Korea)