Ryu Hyunjin reunites with ‘old teacher’ Mattingly in Toronto for the first time in seven years
Ryu Hyunjin (Toronto Blue Jays) will meet Don Mattingly, an “old teacher.” It is the first time in seven years since 2015 when Mattingly resigned as LA Dodgers manager.
The Toronto club announced on its official website on the 1st (Korea Standard Time) that it has appointed Mattingly, who led the Miami Marlins until this year, as a bench coach.
Mattingly served as a coach for the New York Yankees from 2004 to 2007 and the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2008 to 2010, before becoming the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2011. In 2008, when Mattingly was the coach of the LA Dodgers, Park Chan-ho was also familiar with the Korean player because he wore the LA Dodgers uniform.
In particular, Mattingly watched Ryu Hyun-jin’s debut in 2013 when he served as a coach. Ryu Hyun-jin successfully made a soft landing in the U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB) with 14 wins and 8 losses and a 3.00 ERA in his debut season, and also enjoyed the honor of becoming the first Korean player to become a starting pitcher in the MLB postseason. Ryu also recorded 14 wins and 7 losses and a 3.38 ERA in 2014.
However, Ryu failed to join Mattingly in 2015. Ryu Hyun-jin vowed to shoot 200 innings in the 2015 season, but he has been suffering from injuries since spring camp and eventually failed to throw one inning. It was in 2015 that he lost all season undergoing shoulder surgery. And Mattingly resigned as manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the last time in 2015 and walked to Miami the following year.
Mattingly has been a coach for both the LA Dodgers and Miami for 11 years so far this year, but this time he will sit as a bench coach in Toronto under coach John Schneider. Ryu Hyun-jin, who will return as early as the middle of next year, will also form a priest-in-law with Mattingly again.
Coach Steider also said, “I’m excited to be with an experienced leader named Mattingly,” adding, “I’m looking forward to the impact on the players and coaching staff.” “I’m looking forward to next season,” he said with joy.
Meanwhile, Casey Candale, who temporarily coached the bench, returned to coach the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. Toronto plans to announce its coaching staff for the 2023 season soon.