Choi Ji-man failed the Taegeuk mark, but his deep disappointment doubled.
Pittsburgh’s Choi Ji-man, who failed to participate in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time in his life, expressed regret.
On the 6th, Choi Ji-man expressed his feelings about excluding the entry through a management company. Choi Ji-man said, “The Pittsburgh club expressed its opposition to participating in the WBC, citing its history of elbow surgery, and finally decided not to allow him to play.”
“All athletes, regardless of the event, would have dreamed of playing as representative players of the country with the national flag on their chest,” he said adding, “We don’t know how happy we were when we were included in the preliminary list of the WBC national team. However, perhaps because of the high expectations, the disappointment and frustration of the decision to be impossible are also very great,” he expressed regret.
In particular, Choi Jiman said, “We are proceeding well with the normal rehabilitation process, and recently, there has been no problem with live betting.” “I’m so disappointed and sick because I was in good shape in time for the first round schedule in Tokyo as well as joining the national team scheduled for the middle of this month,” he continued.
Choi Jiman, who decided to go to the U.S. after graduating from Dongsan High School, has been a big leaguer since 2016 after spending a long minor life.
However, he has never been selected for the national team. After Choi Ji-man became a big leaguer, he had a chance to participate in the fourth tournament in 2017, but he has just established himself in the major leagues and failed to show clear performance, so he could not even enter the preliminary entry.
Choi Ji-man, who turned 31 years old, was virtually the first and last opportunity for the WBC to be selected for the national team. As he said, Choi Ji-man also had high expectations for joining the national team, but he was caught up in the injury and swallowed his disappointment.
The national team’s performance has also been disrupted.
Looking at the 30 entries announced by KBO, Choi Ji-man, Park Byung-ho (KT), and Choi Jeong (SSG) are the only big guns that will hit home runs against the world stage. Except for them, the main hitters, like Lee Jung-hoo and Kim Hyun-soo, stand out more sophisticated than strength. SSG outfielder Jihoon Choi, who was selected as a substitute for Choi Ji-man, is classified as a player with far better defense than batting.
Choi Ji-man unfortunately dropped out of the national team due to an injury, but he did not give up his hope of re-drafting. Choi Jiman said, “My dream of joining the national team has been canceled, but if I get another chance next time, I want to achieve my dream,” adding, “As one of the Korean people, I will cheer for Korea to perform well in this tournament.”
Choi Ji-man is a so-called “insider” player who boosts the team’s morale with passionate support not only in the game but also in the dugout. Therefore, this fall is all the more regrettable because it was expected to boost the atmosphere of the national team as well as baseball skills.