Choo Cleared to Play in Second Round of WBC
By Yoon Chul
Staff Reporter
South Korean team's lone Major Leaguer Choo Shin-soo, has finally received permission to play in the second round of the World Baseball Classic (WBC).
As soon as Cleveland Indians outfielder Choo arrived in Phoenix, Ariz., on Monday after the Pool A title match against Japan, he went to the Indians spring training complex to undergo an examination on his left elbow, and the Indians medical staff cleared him, Wednesday, to continue playing for his country.
``He underwent a full examination, and all went well,'' Indians general manager Mark Shapiro said. ``We had an uneasy feeling with him on a different continent. We had asked him to be completely honest with us when he left, and he was. He said he felt sore, but now it's all gone.''
Choo complained of pain in his left elbow during batting practice just before the warm-up game against the Seibu Lions on March 2. Cleveland then demanded that Major League Baseball (MLB), the supervisor of the WBC, send him back to the United States for a close examination.
The MLB organized a medical committee for a checkup and permitted him to play at the WBC as a designated hitter.
After the 26-year-old ended his last game of the first round against China, he only watched the final against Japan from the dugout.
The Indians already got a promise from the South Korean team before the tournament that Choo could sit out one game in each round.
But team manager Kim In-sik complained about the Indians' perceived over-interference.
Choo had undergone ligament transplant surgery in his left elbow in 2007. After a successful rehabilitation, he has displayed good performances, batting .309 with 14 home runs and 66 RBIs in 94 games.
Cleveland being careful about Choo's health because he is expected to be the team's regular right field this season.
Though he is available in the second stage, which starts on March 15, manager Kim still has to consider shuffling his lineup.
The 61-year-old has used another slugger, Lee Dae-ho, as third baseman, in order to use Choo as a designated hitter, but Lotte Giants slugger Lee showed his weakness in defense during the first round.
He finally played as a designated hitter, while Lee Bum-ho - who kept the third perfectly in the first WBC in 2006 - retook his position.
During the second round, manager Kim is expected to give deep thought to the picking of the designated hitter - either Choo or Lee.
While Choo went 1-for-7 with a walk and three runs in three games, Lee hit .375 with two RBIs and four walks in four games.
Lee had a clean slate at the Beijing Olympics _ three home runs and 10 RBIs, with a batting average of .360, in nine games.