Baby Beast’ Choi Ji-hoon (SSG Landers) flew in the return match.
Choi Ji-hoon suffered an ankle injury while running base against the Doosan Bears in Incheon on April 28. At the time, he was hitting 8 consecutive games, batting average of 0.352 OPS of 0.822 and wielding a heavy hit. However, due to an ankle injury, he underwent a brief rehabilitation.
After recovering from his injury, 메이저사이트Choi Ji-hoon was called up on the 13th after improving his sense of the game by participating in a match against the Sangmu Phoenix baseball team in the Futures League held at SSG Futures Field in Incheon on the 12th.
Upon returning to the first team, Choi Ji-hoon started as the number 1 designated hitter. Choo Shin-soo, who suffered an ankle injury during base running the previous day (12th), took the lead off.
Before the game, SSG coach Kim Won-hyung said, “Ji-hoon is capable of both offense and defense. But he still cares about (injury), so he plays as a designated hitter.”
Choi Ji-hoon’s return match was successful. Choi Ji-hoon contributed to the team’s 8-5 victory by going 4 at bats with 2 hits, 2 RBIs and 1 run.
Choi Ji-hoon hit a comeback hit in his first at-bat. In the 2B2S situation, he pushed Moon Dong-ju’s four-seam fastball and went to base with a hit to the left of the left fielder. Then, Joo-hwan Choi hit and Guillermo Heredia walked to third base, and Hanyu-seom scored with a timely hit.
In the second at-bat at the bottom of the second inning, the first baseman withdrew with a ground ball, but he did not miss the opportunity to load the bases in the bottom of the third inning. Moon Dong-ju’s four-seam fastball was pushed again. Choi Ji-hoon’s batted ball split left-middle, and Choi Ji-hoon went as far as second base. Third base runner Kim Seong-hyeon and second base runner Lee Jeong-beom came home.
Afterwards, Choi Ji-hoon resigned with a fly ball to third baseman at the end of the 5th inning and a fly ball to shortstop at the bottom of the 7th inning, but he announced a pleasant start by recording multiple hits and 2 RBIs even before returning. With ‘Beast’ Kim Kang-min unable to play for more than three weeks due to a calf injury, Choi Ji-hoon’s return will be a big boost for SSG.
After the game, Choi Ji-hoon said, “Moon Dong-ju is the pitcher who throws the fastest ball in Korea. He was concentrating on the fast ball.”
“I don’t have the know-how (to hit a fast ball). I try to hit it quickly because it comes quickly. When a pitcher who throws a fast ball comes out, I think I try to prepare a little faster,” he said. I did. I think that led to good results at the plate,” he added.