Choo Shin-soo’s competitive spirit ‘wins’ against Daejeon Prince
SSG Landers captain Choo Shin-soo unleashed a blistering bat to propel his team to back-to-back wins. The best fireballer in the KBO League, Choo Shin-soo, showed off his ‘living legend’ skills against Hanwha Eagles’ Moon Dong-ju.
Shin-soo Choo started at No. 2 and went 3-for-3 with a double, a home run, three RBIs, two runs scored and a walk in the ninth game of the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League against Hanwha at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon on Thursday.
From his first at-bat, Shin-soo Choo swung the bat hard. With the score tied 0-0 in the top of the first inning, Choo hit a leadoff solo home run off Moon Dong-joo with the bases loaded.
Choo Shin-soo took advantage of Moon Dong-joo’s second 155-kilometer fastball in the first inning. He took the pitch on a tight course outside the strike zone and sent it over the left-field fence for a 120-meter home run.
It was Choo’s first home run of the 2024 season since April 26 against KT Wiz, nearly two months after he hit his first home run of the season. His second home run of the season came exactly one week after he returned from injury rehab on April 7. He showed off his strength against fastballs.
Shin-soo Choo’s performance continued. In the top of the third inning, with SSG tied 1-1, Choo drew a walk to Moon Dong-joo to put runners on first and second with a 1-2 pitch to center field. The next batter, Park Sung-han, followed with an RBI single to center field, giving SSG the lead back at 2-1.
Shin-Soo Choo produced another hit in his third at-bat in the top of the fifth. He led off the inning with a single to left field, making it a multi-hit game. His aggressive base running to advance to second base was caught by Hanwha left fielder Choi In-ho’s accurate throw, but it was an at-bat that confirmed his good form.
Shin-soo Choo didn’t rest in his fourth at-bat in the top of the seventh inning. With SSG clinging to a slim 5-4 lead, he struck again with a bases-loaded, two-out single to right field to bring home both runners and make the score 7-4.
Choo Shin-soo led off the seventh inning with a single and was replaced by pinch-hitter Choi Kyung-mo to end the game. SSG capitalized on Shin-soo 토토사이트 Choo’s three-hit performance to defeat Hanwha 11-4. The team rode the momentum of a 7-1 victory over the KIA Tigers on April 13 to continue its winning streak.
After the game, Choo Shin-soo said, “I had a great game against a tough team in Kia during the week, but Hanwha has been playing well lately, so I knew it would be a tough game.” “I was focused every inning, and it paid off,” he said.
As for his first-inning home run, he said, “It was a pitch I haven’t hit much since I started playing in Korea (in 2021). In fact, in the major leagues, I faced a lot of pitches with that kind of speed and course, and Moon’s ball is so good, so I was lucky to take a shot on it.”
Choo Shin-soo also revealed his competitive spirit. Until last year, he hadn’t faced Moon Dong-ju before.
Shin-soo Choo made his major league debut in 2005 with the Seattle Mariners, and by 2020, he had faced some of the best pitchers in the world. However, he always wanted to face Moon Dong-ju, who is currently the fastest pitcher in the KBO.
“When Moon was starting, I didn’t get to play because of injuries. I wanted to play against him once before he retired.” “He is a player who should lead Korean baseball, and he can go overseas in the future. I really wanted to bat against him before I retired,” he said.
“I always want to play against fireballer-type pitchers, and I know that Hanhwa will be starting tomorrow’s (June 15) game with left-hander Hwang Jun-seo, so I wanted to play against him as well,” he said, adding, “I’m confident that I can still hit fastballs.”