It’s been 6 years. Mike Trout (LA Angels) let go of his regret of not attending the WBC (World Baseball Classic) with a single sliding shot.
On the 12th (Korean time), the 2023 WBC group stage group C match between the United States and Great Britain was held at Phoenix Field in Arizona, USA at the end of the 4th inning. The runner on first base ran to second base to catch the opposing pitcher off guard. The opposing catcher also quickly threw to second base, but the runner stretched out both hands and reached second base, making it safe.
It was a scene that seemed no different from any other baseball, but the important thing was that the runner on first base was Trout, a man with $426.5 million (564.2 billion won).
For Trout, 2017 is remembered as an injury nightmare. Later in May of that year, Trout tripped on a base in the process of sliding head-first into second base, breaking his thumb. Trout was replaced with a grouchy face, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed damage to ligaments in his fingers. It was the first time Trout was placed on the disabled list since his 2011 debut.
Trout was only able to return in mid-July. Trout, who was on pace to hit 50 home runs in 162 games before his injury, ended up hitting just 33 home runs. It was a season in which the MVP of the season for two consecutive years was influential, but it was not even on the MVP podium.
Although he barely filled the required at-bat, he missed 48 games and recorded a career low in 7 years with a WAR (contribution to victory over substitute players, based on the baseball reference) of 6.9. He also missed the Silver Slugger six years in a row. It was the biggest hurdle in Trout’s life, which had been walking on a solid path.토토사이트
Since then, Trout has insisted on classic sliding, where the foot must enter first when sliding. He refrained from head-first sliding, which was more passionate and easier to avoid while watching the defender’s tag. It was an injury left as a painful trauma.
Coincidentally, 2017 was the year Trout declined to compete in the WBC before the season, fearing a setback to the regular season. At the time, after failing to win the WBC three times in a row, the U.S. literally formed a ‘dream team’ to participate in the WBC, and in the process suggested it to Trout. As a result, the U.S. won the championship after 4 tournaments without trout.
It was a pretty painful experience for Trout, who watched it on TV. Trout confirmed his participation in the WBC early this year, despite injuries and sluggishness between the 2020-2021 seasons. While saying, “I regret refusing to participate in the last tournament,” he encouraged several players to participate as if he were the national team leader.
The opponent that day was England, an opponent that Trout did not have to overdo. However, the diving that threw Trout’s whole body was filled with earnestness. Did that earnestness work? The U.S. won its first victory in the tournament by defeating England 6-2, including Trout’s stolen base and Kyle Schwaber’s 3-run home run.