SSG Landers veteran infielder Choi Joo-hwan (35) seems to have found more leisure than last year. At bat, the results also began to emerge.
Choi Joo-hwan hit his third home run of the season in a home game against Kiwoom Heroes held at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 23rd. On this day, the game was waiting on the bench, and in the bottom of the 7th inning, where the team was tied 4-4, Kim Sung-hyun pinch hitter and hit a 2-run home run.
SSG conceded two runs in the top of the 8th inning, and the hero of the final hit was Guillermo Heredia, a foreign batter who hit a timely hit in the bottom of the 8th inning, but Choi Joo-hwan’s one shot also laid the foundation for the team’s victory. Most of all, it is encouraging that he hit a hit in three consecutive games and hit a home run in two consecutive games.
After the 2020 season, Choi Joo-hwan, who signed an FA contract with SSG (4 years and 4.2 billion won), struggled in 2021 and 2022. In his first year after signing as a free agent, he batted 2.5 with 6 runs and hit 18 homers. In his last season, he appeared in just 97 games and batted 2.1 with 9 home runs. He gradually lost his confidence. He seemed to hit the ball well, but the result didn’t come out, so he was kicked out of the plate.
He was extremely proud and worked hard during the off-season. At the beginning of the first camp in Florida, USA, Joo-hwan Choi lost 7 kg from last year. He maintained his fitness well through the second camp in Okinawa, Japan, the exhibition game, and the start of the regular season.
Then, “The Doosan days, when 2018 was good, the feeling comes. He definitely felt lighter in his body. He becomes more confident,” he said. In 2018, Choi Joo-hwan set a career high with a batting average of 3.33 and 26 home runs in 138 games.토토사이트
Even at the beginning of this year, there are still some ups and downs. But don’t be in a hurry. As a result, I quickly catch the blow and show the results. After the Kiwoom match on the 23rd, Joo-Hwan Choi said, “There may or may not be hits,” and “This season seems to have a different feeling from last year. Above all, I think the biggest difference is that I can compete with pitchers.”
Even on the bench, he is always ready. The pinch hit home run against Kiwoom on the 23rd gave a glimpse of Choi Joo-hwan’s attitude and mindset in the game. He said, “I thought I could go out as a pinch hitter from the 5th inning, and I was preparing little by little. He came out as a pinch hitter sooner than expected, but he had good results because he didn’t miss the pitcher’s error.”
Joo-Hwan Choi has a batting average of .25 (15 hits in 60 at-bats), 3 homers and 11 RBIs in 16 games until the 24th. It is noteworthy how much he will show a different appearance from last year in the future.