MLB U.S. opening game to be held on the 29th, San Francisco-San Diego clash
Lee Jeong-hoo (26, San Francisco), former Korean Professional Baseball Rookie of the Year, is taking his first step toward becoming the American Professional Baseball Major League (MLB) Rookie of the Year. Kim Ha-seong (29, San Diego), the first Korean player to win the MLB Gold Glove, will challenge for the Gold Glove for the second year in a row.
The two players, who worked together in the domestic professional baseball team for four seasons from 2017, when Lee Jeong-hoo debuted as a professional, to 2020, before Ha-seong Kim entered the MLB, faced each other in the opening MLB game in the United States held at Petco Park in San Diego, California, USA on the 29th. meet with On this day, all 30 teams from the two major MLB leagues will play their opening games at 15 stadiums in the United States.
Lee Jung-hoo, who signed a six-year contract with San Francisco for a total of $113 million (about 152.3 billion won), will play as the number one hitter and center fielder. Lee Jeong-hoo appeared in 13 games during the exhibition game that ended on the 27th, showing off his presence with a batting average of 0.343 (12 hits in 35 at-bats), 5 RBIs, 6 runs, and 2 stolen bases. He hit one home run and six walks, and his OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) reached 0.911.
Lee Jung-hoo was named as a candidate for the National League batting title in a survey conducted by MLB.com ahead of the opening of the season. He is also mentioned as a candidate for Rookie of the Year. MLB.com selected Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Japan), who wore the Los Angeles Dodgers uniform and earned the highest salary ever for a pitcher ($325 million over 12 years), as the most likely candidate for Rookie of the Year, predicting that Lee Jung-hoo will also enter the race for Rookie of the Year. On the 27th, the American media outlet USA Today selected Lee Jung-hoo as the five most pivotal players to watch out for in MLB this season and introduced Lee Jung-hoo first.
Ha-seong Kim did not have a hit in the MLB Seoul opening two-game series (20th and 21st) held at Gocheok Sky Dome, but he will face the U.S. opening game in number 5, the main batting lineup. Ha-seong Kim won the Gold Glove Award in the utility category last season, mainly playing as a second baseman, but this year, he will challenge to win the Gold Glove Award for the second consecutive year as a shortstop, his original position. Ha-Seong Kim will become a free agent (FA) at the end of this season.
San Diego bullpen pitcher Go Woo-seok (26) and Oakland infielder Park Hyo-jun (28) will begin the season in the minor league. Park Hyo-jun, who participated in the spring camp as an invited player, showed impressive performance in this exhibition game, recording a batting average of 0.477 (21 hits in 44 at-bats), 1 home run, and 8 RBIs, but was not included in the opening lineup. Choi Ji-hwan (33, New York Mets), who performed poorly in the exhibition game, and Bae Ji-hwan (25, Pittsburgh), who injured his left hip joint, were also excluded from the opening entry. 토토사이트