DUNEDIN, Fla. – From his seat within the Blue Jays’ first-base dugout, manager Charlie Montoyo was constantly guessing Monday afternoon. From behind home plate, catcher Danny Jansen tried, with uneven results, to think alongside his starting pitcher. And on an afternoon the Blue Jays themselves couldn’t anticipate Hyun-Jin Ryu’s next move, the Tampa Bay Rays didn’t have a chance.

Ryu, the left-handed starter who signed a four-year $80 million contract with the Blue Jays in December, was at his unpredictable best in Monday’s 8-3 Grapefruit League win, mixing and matching his pitches over the course of 4 1/3 scoreless innings.

By commanding the baseball, changing speeds and staying composed on the mound, Ryu displayed the combination of skills that allowed him to lead the National League with a 2.32 ERA in 2019. If he topped 90 m.p.h., the scoreboard at TD Ballpark missed it. Yet he’s happy to let his younger teammates light up the radar gun. Ryu, who turns 33 this month, has other ways of keeping hitters guessing.

“The game of baseball, thankfully, is more about pitching than throwing,” he said through an interpreter. “It’s nice if they can throw 99 and have that velo, but there’s so much more that goes into pitching. I don’t necessarily envy them. I just see them as intriguing.”

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A veteran of six big-league seasons, Ryu kept his composure all afternoon, even when the Rays collected their three hits against him. Between pitches, he takes a deep breath and then delivers. Between innings, he seems even more relaxed, throwing his warm-up pitches softly instead of over-exerting himself.

“That’s just me. That’s the way I usually like to pitch,” he said. “Just a calm, collected demeanour is what I try for when I’m on the mound.”

Ryu struck out four hitters Monday, but he was more pleased by the fact that he walked no one. He also built up his pitch count, returning to the mound for the fifth inning despite the fact that the Blue Jays had initially scheduled him for four frames. Even after exiting the game, he kept throwing in the bullpen to build up stamina.

Jansen was impressed that he could call for pitches in all four quadrants of the strike zone and have Ryu hit his glove. By varying speeds and using the entire strike zone, Ryu limited hard contact all afternoon.

“His ability to change it up and change the eye level is crucial,” said Jansen, who hit his third home run of the spring, a grand slam.

At times, Jansen had trouble anticipating Ryu’s next move, leading the left-hander to shake him off. Not every left-handed pitcher wants to throw change-ups against lefties, after all.

“That’s why we’re doing this,” Jansen said. “I’m learning him and he’s learning me. We’re going to be on the same page soon, but it’s going to take repetitions.”

In 2019, when Ryu generated 5.1 wins above replacement on his way to a second-place finish in NL Cy Young balloting, former Blue Jay Russell Martin was something like his personal catcher. That Martin caught 20 of Ryu’s 29 starts illustrates the extent to which game calling matters for the left-hander.

After this start, his second of the spring, Ryu said he likes what he sees from Jansen. Montoyo was similarly encouraged by what he saw from the duo, too. Even if getting used to Ryu’s unpredictability takes a little time, this outing was a necessary step.

Having now made two spring starts, Ryu expects to need just two more before his opening day assignment against the Red Sox. After reaching 65 pitches against the Rays, he’ll push toward 80 next time.

Soon enough, he’ll be pitching when it counts. If Monday’s start hints at what’s to come, the rest of the American League will often be off-balance when Ryu takes the ball for the Blue Jays.

“I’ll tell you what: he’s fun to watch,” Montoyo said. “When you see him live, now you know why he has success. He keeps hitters off-balance. Nobody knows what’s coming.”