Rays' Choi Ji-man stays hot, reaches base 4 times in rout

After missing the first quarter of the 2021 season, Tampa Bay Rays' first baseman Choi Ji-man is playing as though he wants to make up for all that lost time.

The South Korean infielder went 1-for-3 with three walks and an RBI in a 10-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore on Thursday (local time).

Choi missed the first 41 games of the season following arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on March 31. He made his season debut last Sunday and went 3-for-4.

He hasn't looked back since, having hit safely in each of the three following games and knocked in six runs.

Choi is now batting .538/.647/.846.

Batting third against the Orioles on Thursday, Choi worked a walk in the first inning against starter Dean Kremer. Choi drew another walk in the second inning and then got his third free pass in the fourth inning against reliever Keegan Akin.

In the top of the sixth, with the Rays leading 4-1, Choi delivered an RBI single against Akin.

Choi struck out in his next two plate appearances, but the Rays cruised to their seventh consecutive win. In a three-game sweep of the Orioles, the Rays outscored the opponents 32-14.

Next up for the Rays is a four-game series against their American League East rivals, Toronto Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays announced Thursday that Ryu Hyun-jin, their South Korean ace, will start Sunday against the Rays at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Florida. He will be pitching on four days' rest.

Thanks to Toronto's off days in between, Ryu made his two previous starts after five days of break. So far this year, Ryu has started on four days' rest only once, on April 25 against the Rays, and he suffered a right glue strain in the fourth inning of that game. He was placed on the 10-day injured list (IL) afterward.

Ryu is 4-2 with a 2.51 ERA and has held opponents to a run in his past 14 innings across two starts, with 13 strikeouts against one walk.

Choi and Ryu, who both graduated from Dongsan High School in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, have never faced each other in the majors. Choi, who bats left-handed, doesn't often face left-handed pitchers, though he's 2-for-2 against southpaws this year. (Yonhap)