Choo Shin-soo (41, SSG Landers) expressed his convictions regarding the selection of the national team for the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC). His heart for Korean baseball has not changed, and fans generally cheered for his direct words. But this time the reaction is different. In particular, there was a lot of disagreement in the part related to the selection of Ahn Woo-jin (24, Kiwoom Heroes), which is controversial for school violence.
On the 21st (Korean time), Choo Shin-soo appeared on ‘DKNET’, a Korean radio station in Dallas, Texas, USA and said, “If you look at Japan, the closest country to us, there are many new faces in international competitions.” “I am a really good player with the skills and results to represent Korea, but I think I would have looked at the future. If I had looked at the future rather than the current results, I think many (veteran) players should not have gone and many new players should have been selected.” made a statement.
Familiar veterans such as Kim Hyun-soo, Kim Gwang-hyeon (35, SSG Landers), and Yang Hyeon-jong (35, KIA Tigers) were named to the WBC national team. Choo Shin-soo pointed out this part.메이저사이트
He said, “How long are Kim Gwang-hyun and Yang Hyeon-jong?” “It’s not that these players lack skills, but there are so many young and talented players playing in Korea. It makes a difference,” he said.
While talking about the generational change, the name of An Woo-jin could not help coming up. Last year, Ahn Woo-jin rose to the league ace with an overwhelming record of 15 wins, 8 losses, an ERA of 2.11, and 224 strikeouts in 196 innings in 30 games. He won the Golden Glove in the pitching category and was the first choice in the WBC selection if only his skills were considered. However, due to school violence during Whimoon High School, he was disciplined by the Korea Sports Association and the Korea Baseball Softball Association by disqualification from the national team. The WBC, not supervised by the Korea Sports Council, was his only opportunity to mark the Taegeuk mark, but he failed to board the final entry on the 4th.
At the time of the final entry announcement, Cho Beom-hyeon, technical director of the WBC, expressed the atmosphere around Ahn Woo-jin by saying, “When selecting players, we considered various things such as the symbolic meaning of the national team, pride, and responsibility.”
Choo Shin-soo responded that it was difficult to accept this atmosphere. He said, “(Ahn Woo-jin) obviously did the wrong thing, and it’s very unfortunate to see it as a third person. In a way, he is a player who has the talent to do well next to Park Chan-ho, and I also play baseball in Korea, but there are too many things I don’t understand.” did.
He added, “Rather than protecting (Ahn Woo-jin), it seems that it is not easy to forgive in Korea. If a person made a (mistake) when he was young, he would repent of his mistake, be punished, and be suspended from the business trip, but he could not go to international competitions.”
However, fans’ reaction to this part is generally cold. After the Korean series last year, some juniors known as victims of school violence actively came forward for An Woo-jin, but it is known that one victim did not agree. It is the opinion of fans that it is difficult to readily agree with Choo Shin-soo’s remarks in a situation where there are clearly those who have not forgotten the damage at the time. In fact, criticism from fans continued on the official DKNET YouTube channel, where the remarks were revealed.
Choo Shin-soo did not stop here and hoped that his seniors would actively take part in this work. He said, “There is something I want to say to my baseball seniors. I am not a senior because I was born early and played baseball early. If you are on the road and exercising in the wrong place, you should raise your voice to change and try to help, but I only watch.”