Ryu Hyun-jin's start for Blue Jays reportedly postponed in protest to racial injustice in U.S.

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Aug. 28 (Yonhap) -- A scheduled start by the Toronto Blue Jays' South Korean pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin against the Boston Red Sox has reportedly been postponed, with the clubs joining other Major League Baseball (MLB) teams in protest against a recent police shooting of a black man in Wisconsin.

The Blue Jays were to host the Red Sox at Sahlen Field in Buffalo, New York, at 6:37 p.m. Thursday local time, or 7:37 a.m. Friday in Seoul. Ryu was going for win No. 3 in his seventh start of 2020.

But a couple of hours prior to first pitch, the Boston Globe reported that the Red Sox decided not to play as part of their protest to the shooting of Jacob Blake last weekend.

A police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin, shot Blake seven times in the back just outside his vehicle, as they tried to arrest him following what Wisconsin law enforcement officials said was a domestic dispute. The shooting, which left Blake paralyzed from the waist down, sparked a wave of demonstrations across America in the ensuing days.

Professional athletes have joined the protest by refusing to play games and seeking to raise awareness of police brutality and systemic racism.

The Milwaukee Bucks, whose home arena is about 64 kilometers north of Kenosha, led the movement with their boycott of a National Basketball Association (NBA) playoff game against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday. Two other games that day were also postponed. All three NBA playoff games slated for Thursday, including the second-round opener between the defending champions Toronto Raptors and the Boston Celtics, were reportedly all postponed, too, though NBA players will resume playoffs at some point.

Several major league games were also scrapped on Wednesday and Thursday. In a statement released Wednesday, MLB said it "remains united for change in our society and we will be allies in the fight to end racism and injustice."

The National Hockey League (NHL), which caught flak for proceeding with playoff games on Wednesday, has reportedly told players to prepare for the cancellation of Thursday's games.

Thursday's game against the Red Sox would have been the rubber match of a three-game series for the Blue Jays, who will next host the Baltimore Orioles for a weekend series beginning Friday. The first pitch for that game is 6:37 p.m. local time, with Ryu likely to take the mound on an extra day's rest.

Ryu has been in fine form in August, with a 2-0 record and a 1.23 ERA, plus 24 strikeouts against five walks over 22 innings. For the season, Ryu is 2-1 with a 3.19 ERA.

It wasn't immediately clear when the Blue Jays-Red Sox game will be made up.

This year, the Blue Jays will be playing home games at Sahlen Field, home of their Triple-A affiliate, with quarantine rules during the COVID-19 pandemic preventing them from competing in Toronto.

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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