“In the spring, shine the Taegeuk mark, and in the fall, we must challenge for two consecutive victories.”

Korean baseball tasted a bitter failure at the last Tokyo Olympics, not even winning a medal. Needless to say, a strong performance at the World Baseball Classic (WBC), which will be held next month, is an urgent task in order to announce the revival and regain popularity.

Choi Jeong (36, SSG Landers), a ‘boy trader’ who is busy preparing for the next season while sweating in Florida, USA, is one of the players standing at the forefront of the revival project. In an interview with the Maeil Business Newspaper, Choi Jeong-eun said, “We have to prepare as we have done so far. This year, as we are doing spring camp in the United States for the first time in three years, we are improving our condition without worrying about injury in warm weather.” Choi Jeong-eun will move to the national team training camp to be held in Arizona from the 14th and concentrate on preparing for the WBC, which will start on the 8th of next month.

Choi Jeong-eun is a player with rich experience in the national team, including the WBC (2009 and 2013), the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, and the 2019 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier 12, but was unable to participate in the last Olympics. It is true that there is a sense of pressure as well as anticipation to wear the Taegeuk mark for the first time in four years. In particular, as Heo Gyeong-min (Doosan Bears), who played in the Olympics, withdrew from the national team due to an injury, he became the only professional third baseman in the national team and his role increased even more. In addition to defense, he must show his sense of hitting, which he posted with a batting average of 0.476, 2 home runs and 9 RBIs in 6 games during last year’s Korean Series (KS).

Choi Jeong-eun, now in her late 30s, is familiar with the nickname “boy trader”, “Looking at this WBC list, I think I’m definitely older now.” I will think about it and move on,” he said.

Since it is an international competition that is held for a short period of time, it is more important than anything else to stay in good shape during the competition, and you may feel anxious about raising your body quickly. However, Choi Jeong-eun intends to prepare slowly and carefully in order to show good performances in both the WBC and KBO leagues. He said, “Even during the off-season in December and January, I continued to build up my body steadily by playing weights and playing catch at the baseball field.” An SSG official added,메이저사이트 “Choi Jeong-eun is a player who pays great attention to weight management so that there are no problems even during the off-season.”

However, it is also his idea that the priority is to prepare well on his own, and he will not worry about who the opposing team is. When asked, “Which country should be most careful?” Choi Jeong-eun said, “Since it is a national competition in which the best players from each country participate, all countries are on alert.” I will prepare for the game with the help of the coaches.”

KBO professional baseball, which begins without a break after the WBC, is also a stage that cannot be missed for SSG’s second consecutive victory. Choi Jeong-eun said, “I am happy to achieve the KBO’s first record of ‘Wire to Wire’ last year, and I feel pressured about whether I will be able to achieve better results in the future, but I will leave last year’s memories behind last year and unite for a second consecutive victory.” said.

It is a source of confidence that not only oneself but also the team itself is growing. When asked about players who could be Choi Jeong-eun’s successor, he said, “There are many good fielders on the team rather than successors.” I think that I have established myself as a , and if I continue to gain experience in the first group of Jeonuisando, I will produce results,” he expressed his anticipation.

Doosan coach Lee Seung-yeop’s career home run record (467) is also within sight, but Choi Jeong-eun added that he would not be conscious of it. Choi Jeong-eun, who left only 39 home runs, the first in his career with 429 home runs, said, “I don’t set a personal record goal because I think that if I play every game consistently without injury, I can naturally get a good record.” I will digest the season without losing, and as a central hitter, I will try to achieve a double-digit home run and improve my batting average.”