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First-year debut Kwang-Hyun Kim as a member of the St. Louis selection team
Choo Shin-soo and Choi are ‘depressed’ from injury … Only Choi prepares to return to PS
In the 2020 season, the joys of the Korean major leagues were mixed. The pitchers smiled, but the hitters ended the regular season with regret.
Ryu Hyun-jin (33, Toronto Blue Jays) and Kim Gwang-hyun (32, St. Louis Cardinals) boasted of their dignity as two top left-handed pitchers in Korea.
Ryu Hyun-jin, who earned a free agent qualification and signed a great deal with Toronto for $ 80 million in four years, stood tall as the team’s ace in the first year of the transfer.
Kim Gwang-hyun, who stepped onto the major league stage of his dreams, has established himself as one of St. Louis’ starters, while Korean hitters Choo Shin-soo (38, Texas Rangers) and Choi Ji-won ( 29, Tampa Bay Race) regretted the injuries. Both could not play at the end of the season due to injuries and ankles.
▲ Ryu Hyun-jin and Kim Gwang-hyun, as starting pitchers … Created a national team win with the Koreans in 15 years
Ryu Hyun-jin showed an activity in turning Toronto’s investment into “various gods”.
Ryu Hyun-jin, who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers last year and posted an outstanding score of 14-5, a 2.32 ERA, was ranked first in overall ERA in the major leagues and ranked second in the National League Cy Young vote.
However, when Ryu Hyun-jin ended the 2019 season and entered the free agent (FA) market, the evaluation of the market was mixed. Due to the history of injuries, there were many people with question marks about Ryu Hyun-jin’s health.
Not a few say that Toronto was reckless when it invested $ 80 million over four years to recruit Ryu Hyun-jin.
Ryu Hyun-jin overshadowed this assessment by standing tall as Toronto’s ace this season. Despite the unfamiliar situation in which the opening is postponed due to the spread of the new coronavirus infection (Corona 19), the selection rotation was not skipped while maintaining health.
He also played a central role in Toronto, where there are many young players.
His grades were excellent too. At the beginning of the season, he slowed down a bit, but soon regained his ace. Ryu Hyun-jin, who appeared in 12 games this season, posted an average ERA of 2.69 with 5 wins and 2 losses. He’s fourth in the American League ERA.
Kim Gwang-hyun had his first successful year of major league debut even in unfamiliar surroundings.
Kim Gwang-hyun, who was competing for a starting position in spring camp, had a difficult time as spring camp was closed due to Corona 19 and the opening of the major league was delayed. I couldn’t go back to Korea, so I trained to overcome loneliness.
After twists and turns, the major league started, but Kim Gwang-hyun had to play his debut in an unknown position as a final pitcher. On July 25, Gwang-Hyun Kim finished pitching against the Pittsburgh Pirates and scored two runs (one run) in one inning and one save.
This was not the end of the hard times. St. Louis was unable to play from July 31 to August 15 as there were more confirmed cases of corona19 in the team, and Kim Gwang-hyun also had trouble controlling his condition as the entire team was in quarantine.
Kim Gwang-hyun got through all the tough times. With injuries to the team, Kim Gwang-hyun had a chance to start the start after St. Louis resumed the season.
Kim Gwang-hyun was even mentioned as a candidate for the rookie king of the National League while showing remarkable performance.
Kim Gwang-hyun, who started in 8 games (starting 7 games), was unable to complete the regular innings, but achieved an outstanding performance of 3 wins and an undefeated average ERA of 1.62. In his first five games as a starter, he posted an average ERA of 0.33, drawing the attention of local media.
Ryu Hyun-jin and Kim Gwang-hyun made September 25 a day to remain in Korean baseball history.
Ryu Hyun-jin became a winning pitcher by throwing 5 hits in 7 innings without a run in the home game against the New York Yankees on September 25. Toronto, which defeated the Yankees 4-1 amid the fierce Ryu Hyun-jin fight, confirmed its advancement in the postseason four years after 2016.
On the same day, Kwang-Hyun Kim began his home game against the Milwaukee Brewers, scoring 5 hits and 1 run in 5 innings, and captured his third win of the season.
It was only 15 years after Park Chan-ho (then the San Diego Padres) and Seo Jae-eung (then the New York Mets) on August 25, 2005 that a Korean pitcher took the lead in a major league game.
Ryu Hyun-jin and Kim Gwang-hyun, who showed the majesty of Korea’s southpaw representative, take to the fall baseball stage side by side.
▲ Choo Shin-soo and Choi, but ‘The injury is unpleasant’
Korean hitters Choo Shin-soo and Choi Ji-man were injured in the ‘Ultra-mini season’, which only played 60 matches per team.
Shin-soo Choo consistently seized the opportunity to play with the coach’s confidence even though Texas, which was far from advancing to the postseason, gave young players plenty of opportunities.
Choo Shin-soo, who played in 33 games this season, had a 0.236 batting average, 5 home runs, 15 RBIs, 6 steals and 13 points.
However, on September 8, he injured his right wrist while sliding headlong into the groove in the fourth inning against the Seattle Mariners. Subsequently, Choo Shin-soo, who was on the Injury List (IL), was unable to play.
Choo Shin-soo returned from the last game of the regular season against the Houston Astros on the 28th. Choo Shin-soo, who started as the No. 1 designated hitter, attempted a surprise bunt in the first at-bat at the end of the first entry. By sending the batted ball to third base, he caught the opponent’s defense change and ran to safety at first base.
Choo Shin-soo, who beat the burned punch, complained of pain in his left ankle after stepping on base and was replaced by Willie Calhun.
As Texas failed to advance to the postseason, Choo Shin-soo’s 2020 season ended like this.
Choo’s injury this season is even more regrettable because this is the last year of his contract with Texas. Choo Shin-soo, who has played for Texas since 2014, will expire his seven-year contract at the end of the season.
Shin-soo Choo said, “I am confident to play for another year or two. As usual, I will spend a season away and prepare. “It is not clear if the contract will be renewed or not, as Texas has stated that it will organize a team with young players.
On Day 13, Mann Choi injured his left hamstring while heading into the home game against the Boston Red Sox on Day 13. Only Choi, who was diagnosed with 2-3 weeks to recover, was unable to play afterward. .
Although he became the team’s first baseman, his performance was not satisfactory. In 42 games this year, Choi Ji-man hit just 0.230, 3 home runs, 16 RBIs and 16 points.
Choi Ji-man, who has unfortunately ended the regular season, is aiming for a new year in fall baseball. Tampa Bay has won the AL East in 10 years since 2010, and rose to the top of the AL overall winning rate, playing the Wildcard series with Toronto on the 30th of this month.
Choi Mann appears to be undergoing a return procedure smoothly. If Choi Ji-man can compete in the postseason game, there is a chance that Choi Ji-man and Ryu Hyun-jin, senior and junior at Dongsan High School, will face off in fall baseball.
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