Choo quiet in Rangers debut

By Kim Tong-hyung

When the Texas Rangers acquired Choo Shin-soo with a mammoth seven-year contract in the offseason, pundits debated whether the team was overpaying for a hitter who can’t handle left-handed pitching.

The new $130-million man in Arlington had a chance to hit back at skeptics in his Rangers debut against the Philadelphia Phillies and their ace southpaw Cliff Lee on Tuesday (KST). He instead went hitless in four at-bats as the Rangers lost 14-10 in their season-opener at home.

The game was a torturous experience for pitchers as both teams combined for 31 hits. Although he got the win, Lee was rocked in his first return to Texas since starting for the Rangers in Game 5 of the 2010 World Series, allowing eight runs and 11 hits over five innings before being lifted for Jacob Diekman.

But Lee looked just fine when he was pitching to Choo. While even good players have their 0-for-4 nights, Choo’s quiet debut with the Rangers seemed to highlight a concern that preceded his arrival in Texas. As a Cincinnati Red, Choo hit .317 with 21 home runs against right-handed pitchers last season, but only .215 with no home runs against lefties.

Choo’s value as a baseball player is based on his ability to extend at-bats and get on base. Against Lee, however, Choo looked jumpy.

"I am disappointed about our loss. Both teams scored a lot of runs, but I guess the Phillies capitalized on our chances better than us,’’ Choo told Korean reporters after the game.

He said that his quick at-bats against Lee were by design.

"Lee is an aggressive pitcher who attacks the strike zone, so I wanted to be aggressive early. I thought I hit him hard in my first at-bat but the ball was caught near the warning track.’’

In his first at-bat, Choo, who was hitting leadoff, took a strike from Lee before flying out to center.

After the Phillies destroyed Rangers starter Tanner Scheppers with a six-run outburst in the top of the second, the hosts responded with four runs in the bottom of the second.

Leonys Martin scored Adrian Beltre on a bases-loaded single with one out and Josh Wilson followed with a three-RBI double. Lee managed to escape the inning by getting Choo out on a grounder to second and Elvis Andrus on a fly to right.

Texas took a 7-6 lead in the bottom of the third after Alex Rios connected a three-run home run off Lee. However, the Phillies tied it in the top of the fourth, and jumped to a 9-7 lead in the next inning courtesy of John Mayberry’s two-RBI double.

The Phillies put the game away with a four-run sixth inning. Marlon Byrd hit a solo shot off Rangers reliever Pedro Figueroa, who then gave up a single to Domonic Brown.

Alexi Ogando, the Rangers’ third pitcher of the game, allowed a walk and infield single to load the bases before a throwing error from his shortstop Andrus allowed Brown to score from third. Mayberry drew another walk from Ogando before Ben Revere singled to center for two more runs.

The Rangers added two runs in the bottom of the seventh and Cody Asche hit a solo shot for the Phillies in the top of the eighth.

Choo, who did not see more than three pitches in his three at-bats against Lee, looked more like himself against Phillies reliever Diekman, another lefty. Choo struck out looking against Diekman in the bottom of the sixth, but drew a walk against him in the seventh after six pitches.