Choo Shin-soo goes hitless, steals base in KBO regular season debut

▲ Choo Shin-soo of the SSG Landers takes a practice swing before stepping into the box against the Lotte Giants in the bottom of the third inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, on April 4, 2021. (Yonhap)

▲ Choo Shin-soo of the SSG Landers (L) steals second base against the Lotte Giants in the bottom of the fifth inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, on April 4, 2021. (Yonhap)

▲ Choo Shin-soo of the SSG Landers returns to the dugout after striking out against Choi Jun-yong of the Lotte Giants in the bottom of the eighth inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, on April 4, 2021. (Yonhap)

▲ Choo Shin-soo of the SSG Landers returns to the dugout after striking out against Dan Straily of the Lotte Giants in the bottom of the first inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, on April 4, 2021. (Yonhap)

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Choo Shin-soo goes hitless, steals base in KBO regular season debut

INCHEON, April 4 (Yonhap) -- Former major league All-Star Choo Shin-soo went hitless in his first regular season game in the South Korean professional league on Sunday, though he drew a walk and stole a base.

Choo went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts for the SSG Landers in their Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season opener against the Lotte Giants at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul.

The Landers did just fine without Choo's help. They beat the Giants 5-3, as cleanup Choi Jeong and No. 5 hitter Choi Joo-hwan each launched two home runs.

Choo batted third as designated hitter. SSG manager Kim Won-hyong said Choo, a longtime outfielder, has been dealing with some hip pains and he was limited to pinch hitting duties as a precaution.

Once healthy, Choo is expected to play mostly in right field, with some appearances in left field also likely.

Choo struck out swinging in his first time up against Lotte starter Dan Straily in the bottom of the first.

With two outs and nobody on, Choo looked at a first-pitch strike, and watched two straight four-seamers for balls. He swung on and missed on a slider to even the count at 2-2. A changeup outside the zone got the count to full, and Straily threw a slider that Choo fanned on for the inning's final out.

In the third inning, Choo stepped in with two outs and a runner at first, and the Landers up 1-0.

As Choo took the first pitch for a ball, Choi Ji-hoon stole second base to put himself into scoring position.

At 2-1 count, Choo drilled a line drive to deep center field for what appeared to be a run-scoring hit, but center fielder Choo Jae-hyun made a nice running grab on the warning track.

Choo Shin-soo drew a five-pitch walk from Straily with two outs and no one on base in the bottom fifth. Choo then caught the Giants by surprise by stealing second base.

First baseman Jung Hoon was off the bag, and Choo got a great jump on Straily's first pitch to the plate and easily beat the throw from catcher Lee Jae-won.

Choo was stranded, though, as Choi Jeong popped out to third base.

Choo led off the eighth inning against reliever Choi Jun-yong, and struck out looking at a 3-2 fastball that caught the lower part of the zone.

Thinking the ball had missed the zone, Choo turned toward first base, only to have home plate umpire Kang Kwang-hoe ring him up.

Choo was an American League All-Star for the Texas Rangers in 2018. He spent 16 seasons in the bigs, and then signed a one-year deal worth 2.7 billion won (US$2.4 million) with the Landers in February.

Choo instantly became the most intriguing name to watch in the KBO this year. After hitting 218 home runs and putting up 782 RBIs in his major league career -- more than any other player from Asia -- Choo is now seen as a franchise savior.

As the SK Wyverns under previous ownership in 2020, Choo's team finished in ninth place among 10 clubs. With Kim inserted as new skipper and Choo joining other offseason acquisitions, the Landers will look to return to postseason contention in 2021.

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