“When I got up there, I got excited.”
Trailing 4-0 to 4-2 after a single home run. At the plate is a long-hitting right-hander who is 3-for-4 against lefties. NC’s choice was a pitcher who struggled against righties, going 3-for-1 with a 9 wOBA.
The record didn’t tell the whole story. The commander’s pitch was a big hit: a fastball for a strike, and then he faced the batter without a ball. The batter, who was a left-handed hitter, continued to cut the ball as the pitcher took a gamble. A big foul ball was hit into the outfield bleachers. The 2S situation continued. He threw a changeup that dropped in low and the batter’s bat sailed over the plate.
Choi (26-NC Dinos) has split time between starting and relief this season, going 5-4 with a 4.86 ERA in 18 games. It’s been an eventful year for Choi, who has been hit in the face by balls and knocked out of the game.메이저사이트
A postseason run with a twist. The team made its postseason debut in the second game of the semi-finals against the SSG Landers.
Starter Song Myung-ki was pitching well, but was hit with a blowout. They needed to stop the flow, and Choi was perfect for the job.
He pitched 1⅔ innings of one-hit, three-strikeout ball, including striking out the next batter. With Choi erasing the variables in the early innings, NC defeated SSG 7-3 to clinch both the first and second games of the semifinals.
“In front of me, (Song) Myung-i came down in a difficult situation. I only thought about blocking him well. I just focused on one batter.”
First postseason appearance. “I was nervous, but I told myself to do the same as in the regular season. When I got up there, I felt like I was excited,” he smiled.
The second game of the semi-final between SSG and NC at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on Wednesday. NC’s Choi Sung-young pitches. Incheon=Song Jung-heon songs@sportschosun.com/2023.10.23/
SSG Landers Field is very hitter-friendly. Add to that the ‘lefty killer’ Ha Jae-hoon. “I only thought about getting one hit rather than a home run,” Choi said. “When I analyzed his power, I saw that he was good at hitting left-handed pitches. I also knew that I was weak against right-handers. “I had a habit of throwing long pitches, and I had an idea, but I was told to do it with the idea of catching one batter at a time,” he continued.
He also has a good rapport with catcher Hyung-Jun Kim, who has had a breakout season this postseason. He’s hit three home runs in the postseason and has been outstanding both offensively and defensively.
“We were in the battery together in the mercantile industry. He knows how to lead,” Choi said, “and he leads his brothers well for their young age.”
With his experience as a starter, he would have been eager to start the postseason. “If Choi Sung-young comes out today, Pedi will come out in Game 4,” NC manager Kang Myung-ho said ahead of Game 3 at Changwon NC Park on April 25.
Choi said, “I just want to be on the roster. I don’t think about starting, I’ll do my best in my position,” he said.