Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Ji-Man Choi has shared his thoughts on Major League Baseball’s “unicorns”.
Choi played against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the 2023 Major League Baseball World Series at Angels Stadium in Anaheim, California, USA, on 22-24 June (KST), facing the Angels’ star pitcher Shohei Ohtani. He hit a home run off the pitcher in Game 22 and was out of the lineup on Games 23 and 24, watching from the dugout.
Otani was hit by four home runs in Game 22 and allowed five runs in 6⅓ innings to earn the win, his eighth of the season. Choi hit his fifth home run of the season off Ohtani with one out in the top of the fourth inning. It was the first time Oh had hit four home runs in a game since his major league debut.
After going 0-for-4 on the 23rd, Ohtani hit a mid-month tying solo shot off Mitch Keller with one out in the bottom of the first inning on the 24th. It was a bullet clothesline hit with a 19-degree launch angle and a 3.99-second body time. Ohtani’s 36th home run of the season gave him the major league home run lead.
Ohtani, who became the first player in the majors to reach the milestone in regulation innings and plate appearances, is a strong candidate for league MVP again this year after earning American League unanimous MVP honours in 2021 and posting 100 innings, 100 strikeouts, 100 hits and 100 RBIs for the second year in a row. He is expected to command a total of over $500 million when he becomes a free agent after the season.
Japanese media outlet Full Count, which met Choi in Anaheim on the 24th, described him as “a left-handed slugger with 66 career home runs in his eighth year in the major leagues. Ohtani’s two-hit extravaganza has shocked even Korea’s leading slugger,” and published an interview with Choi.
Choi said, “(Ohtani) is a player that everyone is jealous of because of his two-hit performance. He’s one of a kind and there’s so much to learn from him. There are things I want to learn from him as well. For an Asian player to be able to do that in the major leagues is amazing and I’m really jealous. I want to be that player,” he said.온라인바카라
“The ball is really fast in the major leagues. I usually hit like an Asian player. I always try to swing at 70 per cent power to cope with the fast ball. I don’t take a full swing. But Ohtani has a full swing, so he can generate that power. That’s the difference,” he said.