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| Choo Shin-soo of SSG Landers is scheduled to participate in a demonstration match against NC Dinos held at NC Park in Changwon on the 21st at 1 pm. /News1 © News1 Reporter Jeong Sik |
Choo Shin-soo, Choo Choo Train, whose debut match for Korean professional baseball was canceled due to spring rain, debuts on the 21st.
SSG Landers will play a demonstration game with NC Dinos at NC Park in Changwon at 1 pm on the 21st. The match between the two teams was scheduled to take place on the 20th, but was canceled due to rain in the Changwon area from the morning.
Choo Shin-soo, who is catching the attention of baseball fans this season, is expected to start in this game. Choo Shin-soo made his name on the starting lineup as the second nominated hitter in the match against NC the day before. However, as the game was canceled due to rain, Choo Shin-soo played in front of Korean professional baseball fans on the late 21st.
The day before, SSG coach Kim Won-hyung announced that when the match was canceled, “there is a high possibility that batters will go out as planned on the 20th in the match on the 21st.”
Choo Shin-soo, who has been active in the major leagues for 16 years, joined SSG for the highest annual salary of 2.7 billion won in Korean professional baseball. After arriving in Korea on the 25th of last month and completing self-isolation for two weeks, Choo Shin-soo joined SSG on the 11th to prepare for the new season.
However, both SSG coach Kim Won-hyung and Choo Shin-soo were in no hurry. In September of last year, after the final game of the major leagues, I couldn’t hit the ground for six months, so I took time to raise my body rather than rushing to play. It gave me enough time to learn the skills of Korean batters.
Accordingly, Choo Shin-soo never played in a practice match against KT Wiz and Samsung Lions. Instead, he studied by looking at Korean pitchers’ balls in dugouts and bullpens. I spent a lot of time talking with my colleagues and finding out who pitched the opponent.
After joining SSG, Choo Shin-soo, who spent 10 days acclimating, seems to be ready to some extent. Shin-soo Choo himself said, “I’m getting better enough to play the game.”
Manager Won-hyung Kim, who was cautious about putting Shin-soo Choo during the last practice game, also expressed satisfaction, saying, “If you look at Shin-soo Choo’s training, betting and running are normal. You can improve your sense of the game by watching the pitchers play in the game.
Choo Shin-soo will become a designated hitter for the time being and will focus on raising his sense of hitting, and then he will defensively from the demonstration game against Samsung that will be held at Munhak Stadium on the 25th. Coach Kim previously announced plans to use Choo Shin-soo as left fielder this season.