Doosan’s Jose Rojas had two crucial opportunities in the 28th game of the Jamsil NC. In the bottom of the seventh inning with a 1-2, one-run lead, Rojas stepped up to the plate. In the bottom of the ninth inning, down 1-4, Rojas had runners on first and second with one out. However, Rojas missed both opportunities. In the bottom of the seventh, he struck out when his bat fluttered on a high fastball from NC’s Kim Young-gyu, and in the bottom of the ninth, he grounded out to second base against Yoo Yong-chan.
It was understandable for the manager to consider a substitution. The seventh inning was particularly troubling. With the pitching staff splitting time against opposing ace Eric Peddy, the game was tied at 1-2, and a sacrifice fly would have tied the game.
Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop met with reporters at Jamsil Stadium on the 28th, the day the game was canceled due to rain, and said, “I thought I had to give Rojas a chance since I put him back in the first team. I wanted to give him a chance and convey the idea of ‘show me everything you have,’ so I didn’t use a substitute in that sense.” Rojas was dropped from the first team roster on Nov. 11 due to continued poor form. He returned on the 22nd, but his performance remained poor. He went 1-for-16 until the NC game on Aug. 28.온라인바카
“I wanted to instill in Rojas a sense of ‘I can do this,'” Lee said, “so that he could rebound a little bit, not just be a pinch-hitter.”
A pinch-hitter might have given the team a better chance of tying or even winning the game. But for Rojas, who needed to bounce back, he didn’t think a substitution would help.
“I said it yesterday, but Rojas is the key to our batting lineup,” Lee emphasized. With the domestic batsmen showing ups and downs, Rojas needs to be revitalized somehow.
Lee said Rojas’s recent struggles are the result of a back injury. He explained that Rojas’ back is not in a good shape, so his swing trajectory is not normal, and the quality of his batting is naturally poor. Rojas went 0-for-4 against the Nats on Aug. 28. He struck out twice, flied out to shortstop and grounded out to second base. He didn’t send a single pitch into the outfield. Rojas’ batting average dropped to .192 for the season.