His experience is a big help.” Catcher Kirk on Hyun-Jin Ryu

What does Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk think of veteran Ryu Hyun-jin?

In an interview after the Blue Jays’ home game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on Monday (Jan. 1), Kirk shared his thoughts on Ryu’s performance.굿모닝토토

“He was great,” Kirk said, “I thought he did a good job. A couple pitches got a little high and he gave up a hit, but overall, he followed the game plan,” Kirk said of his teammate’s pitching.

This is the first time Kirk has been with Ryu since April 17 of last year, when they played a home game against the Oakland Athletics.

“We were together in spring training, but that was the first time I worked with him,” said Kirk, who couldn’t remember the date.

“It was a really good experience. He threw some good pitches. I thought he did a good job overall,” he said, again praising his teammate’s pitching.

On the day, Ryu left the mound after three innings and seven hits, one walk and two runs. He gave up a lot of hard-hit balls and was pulled early, but he still had his arms around his catcher.

Kirk, a native of Mexico, made his big league debut in 2020. By 2022, he had developed into an All-Star caliber catcher.

This season has been a bit of an up-and-down affair, but he’s stepped into the role of starting catcher since Danny Jansen’s injury.

Kirk is also one of the few teammates who has been with Ryu for all four of his years in Toronto.

“It’s always helpful to play with a guy like him,” he said when asked about Ryu’s presence, adding that he appreciates Ryu’s experience.

“He’s one of our leaders. He’s a really good teammate to everyone. We all love him,” he said, showing his appreciation for him as a teammate.