Blue Jays’ Ryu Hyun-jin tosses gem in win over Red Sox

 A month after getting knocked around against the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays’ ace Ryu Hyun-jin got his revenge with a gem against one of the best offenses in baseball.

Ryu threw seven shutout innings to help the Jays to an 8-0 victory at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Florida, on Tuesday (local time). Ryu improved to 4-2 for the season and lowered his ERA from 2.95 to 2.51.

Ryu allowed only four hits and struck out seven to match his season high.

This was Ryu’s second start against the Red Sox this season. On April 20, Ryu gave up four runs on a season-worst eight hits in five innings to take the loss at Fenway Park.

Ryu threw 100 pitches for the first time in 2021, and 67 went for strikes.

The Blue Jays improved to 23-17, now just half a game back of the Red Sox for the American League East division lead.

Ryu dodged a bullet against leadoff man Kike Hernandez in the top of the first, as the towering fly by his former Los Angeles Dodgers teammate sliced just right of the right field foul pole.

Ryu ended up striking out Hernandez and pitched around a one-out single.

He retired the side in order in the second and third innings. Alex Verdugo led off the fourth with a double, but Ryu wiggled out of the jam with a groundout and a couple of flyouts that sandwiched an infield single.

Not that Ryu needed much, but the Blue Jays gave him plenty of run support.

Danny Jansen knocked in a run in the bottom second, and the Jays put up a three-spot in the fourth, with RBI hits by Marcus Semien and Bo Bichette.

They added a run each in the sixth and the seventh, and after Ryu was gone, Randal Grichuk put the finishing touch with a two-run blast in the eighth.