"Still stiff."
SSG Jihoon Choi was injured in the first round of the doubleheader of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League SSG-LG at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the afternoon of the 17th and failed to get up on the ground for a while.
Jihoon Choi started the first round of the doubleheader as the second batter and center fielder. In the bottom of the sixth inning, with two outs and a runner on first base, Park Dong-won hit Noh Kyung-eun's first pitch. The high-flying ball headed to the middle of the infield and outfield.
It fell between center fielder Jihoon Choi, right fielder Han Yu-seom, and second baseman Kim Sung-hyun. All three players ran towards the ball. However, Jihoon Choi and Kim Sung-hyun collided as each other's location and call sign were not accurate.
Kim Sung-hyun's head was strongly dispatched to the Jihoon Choi's jaw, and the two players collapsed on the ground. Kim Sung-hyun woke up a little later, but the Jihoon Choi continued to complain of pain and even entered the ground by ambulance.
Fortunately, the Jihoon Choi occurred complaining of pain. He was replaced by Ha Jae-hoon and headed to the locker room. An SSG official said, "The results of the Jihoon Choi's examination show muscle stiffness and bruising of the jaw joint," adding, "It seems difficult to play in the second round of the doubleheader." We will continue to check the condition," he said.
Jihoon Choi, who watched the second game of the doubleheader against LG from the bench, looked uncomfortable as he touched his chin as he entered the dugout after greeting the crowd after the game.
Meanwhile, SSG starter McCarty was shaken by seven runs (six earned runs) and nine hits (one homer) in three ⅔ innings with three outs and two strikeouts. In the batting line, Ha Jae-hoon and Han Yu-seom scored two RBIs and Choi Hang scored one RBI, but failed to prevent the team's 5-8 defeat. LG starter Lim Chan-kyu recorded his 11th win (3 losses) of the season with two runs (two earned runs) and six hits, two outs and four strikeouts in five innings.