Yeah, right: LH Choi clobbers RH homer
Juan Toribio
@juanctoribioST. PETERSBURG -- Over the past three months, most players looked for ways to continue working on their craft and stay ready for the upcoming season. Apparently, Ji-Man Choi had enough extra time to become a switch-hitter.
With Blue Jays left-hander Anthony Kay on the mound, Choi stepped to the plate at Tropicana Field in the fourth inning. But the difference was that Choi, who had hit left-handed in all of his 735 MLB plate appearances prior to Sunday's 6-5, extra-inning win, stepped into the batter¡¯s box as a right-handed hitter.
In his first at-bat as a righty, Choi took two vicious swings but eventually struck out against Kay. In the sixth inning, however, Choi went full switch-hitter, smacking a 429-foot home run to left-center off of Kay to send the home dugout into a frenzy. The exit velocity on the home run was 109.1 mph, according to Statcast, the Rays¡¯ hardest-hit ball of the season.
¡°The first at-bat as a righty, we were playing defense for quite a while, so I wasn¡¯t really warmed up,¡± Choi said through interpreter Steve Nam. ¡°The second at-bat came up, I just swung and the ball just traveled past the fence.¡±
Over the past few years, Choi typically starts his first batting-practice round with swings from the right side before switching over to his natural, left-handed swing. During Summer Camp, Choi took some at-bats from the right side, but quickly said he was just doing it because he was having fun.
Rays manager Kevin Cash added that he didn¡¯t think Choi would hit from the right side in a game. Before the Blue Jays finale, Cash said he guessed that Choi was going to try hitting right-handed. Well, Choi did, and the result was unbelievable.
¡°I didn¡¯t want to ask him, didn¡¯t want to persuade him one way or the other, just wanted it to be his choice,¡± Cash said. ¡°That¡¯s pretty impressive to be able to do that. Switch-hit and then not do it for five years, other than kind of goofing around in the cage, and then he comes off against a good Major League pitcher and hits the ball into the deepest part of the ballpark.¡±
¡°I wasn¡¯t stressing about it too much, and I definitely didn¡¯t want to tell [Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo] about our little secret,¡± Choi added. ¡°I just wanted to keep that to myself. ... Then today I felt pretty good, so why not?¡±
Though entering Sunday he had not taken an official at-bat from the right side in the big leagues, Choi does have some professional experience as a switch-hitter. The last time he hit right-handed was Nov. 25, 2015, during a Dominican winter ball game with Estrellas del Oriente.
Choi also hit right-handed in the Minors, but in 2015, he was told to focus on being a left-handed hitter. He slashed .296/.345/.389 in 54 at-bats from the right side of the plate.
¡°It¡¯s truly incredible,¡± Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier said. ¡°But if anyone can do it, it¡¯s Ji-Man. He¡¯s a man of many talents. I have to tip my hat to him on that because it¡¯s not hitting your natural way, let alone picking up switch-hitting again four or five years later and crushing a homer the way he did. Incredible.¡±
So is Choi an official switch-hitter now? He won¡¯t be tipping his hand.
¡°I still don¡¯t know,¡± Choi said with a smile. ¡°Maybe.¡±