Choi Ji-Man, 32, of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who has been on a tear since returning from injury, has once again fallen victim to the Platoon system against a left-handed starter.

Choi started the game off the bench in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB) home opener against the Philadelphia Phillies at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S., on Aug. 31.메이저놀이터

He pinch-hit with runners on second and third in the bottom of the eighth inning, but was stranded on a grounder to first base, and his batting average dropped slightly from .208 to .205 (15-for-73).

Choi missed about three months earlier in the season with an Achilles’ tendon injury, but since returning in July, he has been hitting hot.

In July, he is batting .268 (11-for-41) with four home runs and nine RBIs, a .295 on-base percentage, a .634 slugging percentage, and a .929 OPS.

The problem is that manager Derek Shelton runs a strict platoon system, which means Choi has been benched against left-handed pitching. He’s batting just .133 (2-for-11) against left-handed pitching this season, but he’s had so few at-bats that it’s hard to make an accurate diagnosis.

The presence of veteran center fielder Carlos Santana has made it difficult to get first base playing time. However, Pittsburgh recently traded Santana and received a promising infielder in return. He’s still gaining experience, so he won’t be able to play first base right away.

Choi has started two games in a row since the Santana trade. He hit safely in his first five games and seemed to have impressed Shelton.

However, when the left-handed pitcher started the game, he was back on the bench. This was especially disappointing since he had a multi-hit game the day before.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Pittsburgh was down 3-4 and had runners on second and third with nobody out. He faced right-hander Yunior Marte. Facing a six-pitch count, Choi tried a slider but was thrown out at first base. He was unable to advance the runners.

Fortunately, Nick Gonzalez’s sacrifice fly tied the game at 4-4. Choi was replaced by shortstop Alica Williams after the eighth inning.

The teams eventually headed to extra innings. In the bottom of the 10th inning, Josh Palacios hit a two-run home run to give the team a 6-4 victory. Pittsburgh took the best-of-three series from Philadelphia with a 2-1 victory, improving to 47-58.