After being left off the roster for three straight games, Choi Ji-Man (32, Pittsburgh Pirates) made his first start in four days and flew out of the park. He hit a grand slam off a left-handed pitcher in an unspoken protest against manager Derek Shelton.
Choi, batting fourth and starting at first base, went 1-for-3 with a walk, two RBIs, a run scored and a stolen base in the 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB) World Series against the Cleveland Indians at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S., on Tuesday (20 June).
Added a hit in four games and raised his season batting average from .173 to .182 (10-for-55).
A clear platoon player, he roared off left-handed pitching.
After being left out of the starting lineup for three straight games, Choi made his first appearance in the lineup in four games against right-hander Aaron Seabail.온라인카지노
After a foul fly to second base in his first at-bat in the second inning and a fly to left field in the fourth, Choi drew a walk in his third at-bat in the sixth.
With the score tied at 3-4 in the bottom of the seventh, Choi stepped to the plate and lined a three-pitch, 88.1 mph slider from left-hander Sam Henges to right field to load the bases. It was his eighth RBI of the season and cut the deficit to 5-4.
Choi moved to second on a Henry Davis single and came home on a quick throw home from second on a Jared Triolo single. With a 7-4 lead, Pittsburgh was able to hold on for the win. They snapped a five-game losing streak.
With their first win of the second half, they are now 42-54, but still in last place in the NL Central.
“No faith” criticised by US media, Choi proves otherwise
It’s clear that Choi is a hitter with a distinct weakness against left-handed pitching. That’s why he’s struggled to play a full season throughout his career.
However, it’s hard to justify Pittsburgh’s limited use of Choi, who cost the club a hefty sum of money to acquire. This was especially true when he had a four-game hitting streak and homered in back-to-back games after returning from injury.
“Pittsburgh signed Choi to a $4.65 million (K589.3 million) contract, but didn’t have enough faith in him to play him with the bases loaded and the game tied 3-3 on Sunday,” the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote on 18 April.
At that time, Pittsburgh did not utilise Choi in the eighth inning with the bases loaded and the tying run on second, and ultimately lost. The team was on a losing streak, which made it even more difficult to understand.
Choi, who had been rested for three consecutive days, started the game, and after a quiet first half of the game, he delivered the final blow in the bottom of the seventh inning, when the left-hander took the mound, as an unspoken protest to Shelton. There was a lot of action and roaring at first base after his hit. Last year, Choi showed a knack for overcoming weaknesses against left-handed pitchers with a .294 batting average, and this season, he has impressed Shelton with one home run and four RBIs against left-handers, including this one.