Choi Ji-man (32), a major leaguer representing Korea, is enhancing his sense of hitting in an exhibition game. Baseball fans are expressing more regret at his failure to participate in the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC).
On the 11th (Korean time), Choi Ji-man started as the designated hitter in the 2023 American Professional Baseball Major League (MLB) Philadelphia Phillies demonstration game held at Baycare Ballpark in Clearwater, Florida, USA, and made a big success with 2 hits in 3 at-bats. .
Choi Ji-man, who recorded two RBIs and doubles against the Philadelphia Phillies on the 5th, reversed the silence in two games with multi-hits. His exhibition batting average rose from 0.091 to 0.214 (3 hits in 14 at-bats).
Choi Ji-man, who stepped down with a left fielder’s floating ball in the first at-bat in the first inning, ended the silence with a left-handed hit in the third inning, hitting opponent starter Jack Wheeler’s 145 km/h slider. In the fifth inning, he hit Nior Marte’s 156km/h sinker and hit a double over the left fielder. The second long shot in this demonstration game. He was replaced at the plate in the 7th inning and the team lost 4-10.
Choi Ji-man was named in the final entry for the 2023 WBC national team. He also had a strong will to participate in the competition. However, after undergoing surgery to remove a bone fragment in his right elbow after the end of last season, he was undergoing a rehabilitation process, so the team expressed opposition to participation and eventually remained with the team.
Choi Ji-man, who was unable to join the national team during the spring camp, remained with the team and focused on recovery. Although he entered the real game a bit later than his teammates, he showed off his long hitting power in his second exhibition game and even wrote a multi-hit this time.메이저놀이터
Choi Ji-man played 486 games over 7 seasons in the big leagues, recording a batting average of 0.239, 61 home runs, and 225 RBIs with an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.774. He hit 19 homers in 2019, and in the past two seasons, despite overlapping injuries and sluggishness, he hit double-digit homers for two consecutive years.
Without Choi Ji-man, the national team lost consecutively to Australia and Japan 7-8 and 4-13. It is pointed out that the biggest problem is pitching ability, but if they had won the game against Australia, they could have hoped to advance to the quarterfinals. Yang Eui-ji (Doosan Bears) hit a home run in two consecutive games, but other than that, there were no other players who showed such remarkable power.
In particular, the absence of left-handed Geopo Choi Ji-man makes a big sense of vacancy. Against Australia, Na Seong-beom (KIA Tigers) bowed his head with no hits and two strikeouts in three at-bats, and left-handed hitters Kim Hyeon-soo and Oh Ji-hwan (both LG Twins) also went silent with no hits. Even in the match against Korea and Japan, Kim Hyeon-soo was silent with no hits in 4 at-bats, and there was no player who hit a big blow to the left or right except for Yang Eui-ji.