“Won-tae Choi (LG Twins)카지노 is a bit of a hitter when the ball is high, and a perfect thrower when it’s low.”
LG manager Yoon Kyung-yeop has some advice for Won-tae Choi, who is facing his hometown team for the first time.
Choi Won-tae will take the mound for LG’s 2023 KBO home game against the Kiwoom Heroes at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Wednesday.
LG’s Choi Won-tae will take the mound against Chinjung team Kiwoom on 12 December. Photo courtesy of LG
The right-hander, who joined the Heroes with the first pick in the 2015 draft, has compiled a career record of 67-49 with a 4.28 ERA in eight seasons, including three straight years of double-digit wins from 2017 to 2019, and is currently 7-5 with a 3.41 ERA in 19 appearances (113.1 innings) this season.
LG, which is challenging for the ‘big title’ this year, acquired him in a trade on the 29th of last month in exchange for utility man Lee Joo-hyung, pitcher Kim Dong-gyu, and a first-round pick in the 2024 rookie draft. Choi Won-tae will face his hometown team Kiwoom for the first time today.
“I think it will be a ritual for him (Choi Won-tae),” said manager Yoon Kyung-yeop before the game against Kiwoom on the 12th, “and I didn’t use him last time (in the three-game series against Jamsil Kiwoom from 1-3) because I don’t think it’s polite to put him in the starting lineup right away when you first make the trade.”
Choi Won-tae pitched well against the Doosan Bears in Jamsil on 30 July, his first start after the trade, with six scoreless innings, but struggled against the Samsung Lions in Daegu on 5 July, his last appearance before this game, with six runs in five innings.
Yoon said, “There are only two things about Choi Won-tae. When the ball is high, he gets hit a little bit, and when it’s low, he throws it perfectly.” “That’s the type of pitch he has. Except for his four-seam fastball, his two-seam fastball, changeup, and slider all have to come in low.”
“When (Choi’s) pitches get higher, they get hit harder and have less movement. On the other hand, when the pitch is lower, the movement of the pitch increases and it is harder for hitters to hit the ball.”
Meanwhile, when asked about Choi Won-tae, Kiwoom coach Hong Won-ki smiled bitterly and said, “I hope he finishes the season healthy and injury-free.”