SSG Landers' Choo Shin-soo (42) gave some heartfelt advice to the younger players who will lead Korean baseball in the future.
Shin-soo Choo went 2-for-4 with two doubles, one home run, one RBI and one run scored as the No. 2 designated hitter against the Kiwoom Heroes in the 2024 Shinhan Bank SOL Bank KBO League at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Sunday. SSG won 6-2 behind Choo Shin-soo's performance and secured their second straight victory to clinch a three-game midweek series.
After announcing his retirement for the final time this season, Shin-soo Choo hasn't played much due to his shoulder condition. However, he has picked up his hitting in the last four games, pounding out nine hits. In a postgame interview, Choo said, “Actually, my body is the same. It's been bad since camp, and I feel like I'm just trying to get through each day anyway. There's no way to improve much except for surgery,” he said, candidly discussing his poor physical condition.
Despite his condition, Choo Shin-soo is doing his best to help the team. SSG coach Lee Sung-yong said in a pre-game interview, “I was impressed with Shin-soo's surprise bunt hit yesterday. That's the kind of baseball I talk to my team about a lot. You have to take advantage of the opponent's gaps and if you see an opening, you have to take advantage of it. In the interview, (Choi) Jung said he did it to connect with the same center fielder, 카지노사이트 so that's why he put Shin-Soo at second. When you have two strikes, you change your batting form. We're trying to make contact and get him to throw the ball. That's the kind of baseball we need,” he said, emphasizing that SSG needs Shin-Soo Choo's baseball.
“It's what I did for years when I was in the United States. It was also the culture in Seattle, where I first started when I was a kid and switched from pitcher to hitter. The idea was to make it harder for the pitcher rather than get a hit by changing the batting form on second strike. I remember doing that in the major leagues for a couple years and having a good record,” he said.
“When you get to two strikes, your chances of getting a hit obviously go down,” said Shin-soo Choo. “I'm trying to create an approach where I can see one more pitch from the pitcher rather than trying to get a hit. I'm doing this again at the end of my career,” he laughed. “I make my stance bigger and wider and hold the bat a little shorter. I don't want to tell the younger players to do this, but I think it sends a message by showing them,” he said, adding that he has some heartfelt advice for the younger players.
“I think this is probably the last message I give to our younger players, to the KBO players in general, and to the players on my team in particular,” said Shin-soo Choo. “I think you can't succeed in everything, not just baseball, without desperation and urgency, so in a way, what I show with my actions is a message to do that every at-bat,” he said, urging them to play baseball with more urgency.
