“Jinx number 18, I will break it.”
Right-handed pitcher Choi Jun-yong (22, Lotte) has a strong goal-oriented tendency. He is a style that burns hotter when he sets a clear direction and moves towards it. Sometimes he doesn’t mind going the hard way. It is because he believes that he will grow one step through the process even if it becomes more difficult for himself. He has tasted both success and failure over the past three years. In the 2023 season, Choi Jun-yong wants to change. The changed uniform number 18 shows his determination.
◆ No. 56 → No. 18, bold change
Choi Jun-yong put on a new number ahead of this season. He said goodbye to his old number 56 and wore number 18. he had a lot of trouble Number 56 is the number I wore for the first time after joining Lotte. There are bound to be many memories big and small. Even at Lotte, number 18 is far from a pleasant memory. ‘National Treasure Pitcher’ Seon Dong-yeol, former baseball team manager’s uniform number, is famous, but strangely, it did not give good energy to Lotte pitchers. This is because there were many injuries and sluggishness when wearing this number. Park Se-woong and Lee In-bok were no exception.
I want to break through the front. Choi Jun-yong raised his voice, saying, “I will definitely break the bad jinx.” He is determined to take it as motivation. I have a similar experience. He was in the third year of Daecheon Middle School. Unlike most aces wearing number 1 or 11, Choi Jun-yong wore number 28. He was a number that the school at the time wanted to stay away from. Choi Jun-yong said, “I remember that seniors who wore number 28 in the past either did poorly or were injured. He challenged his desire to break it once, and after that, his juniors also became sweet.”
◆ If it doesn’t work, make it happen.
Motivation is also a constant whipping toward oneself. Last season was very disappointing. In 68 games and 71 innings, he went 3-4 with 14 saves and 6 holds with a 4.06 earned run average. Compared to the 2021 season (44 games, 4 wins, 2 losses, 20 holds, ERA of 2.85), which was established as a clear setup man, there were some ups and downs. He had many pitches in a variety of situations. He greatly increased the number of strikeouts with sophisticated control (45 in 2021 → 80 in 2022), but he felt that his stamina declined towards the middle and latter half of the season.
His number 18 is a device that sets his mind at all. Last year, Choi Jun-yong started with a great motivation for the Hangzhou Asian Games.스포츠토토 However, as he was unexpectedly delayed by a year, he unknowingly lost power. Choi Jun-yong looked back coolly and said, “It seems that the Asian Games have been postponed and have become indolent.” He said, “There is an Asian Games this year, but besides that, isn’t there my own motivation to break the 18th jinx? It won’t be easy, but I’m trying to do my best. I really want to do well,” he said forcefully.
◆ As the saying goes, set specific goals
I believe that what you say will come true. Choi Jun-yong said, “I set detailed goals until my second year of debut. In 2022, his third year, he was looking forward to a full-time job for a year, and he really only achieved that.” He continued, “I tried to be more specific this year. He wants to record more than 30 holds and an earned run average of 2 points while throwing 60 or more innings.” There is also a bigger picture. It is the Asian Games and the Korean Series (KS) stage. Choi Jun-yong said, “Both the director and the coaches say, ‘Look for first place unconditionally’. I want to show you,” he said.