Don't Miss

Choo Shin-soo hits HR for the second consecutive day

May 22, 2014

Texas Rangers’ Shin-Soo Choo is greeted in the dugout after scoring on a double by Adrian Beltre during the third inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers in Detroit, Thursday, May 22, 2014. Choo homered, Chris Gimenez had four hits and the Rangers rolled to a 9-2 victory. (AP)

By Lee Kyutae

Choo Shin-soo’s bat is getting hot again. He knocked one over the wall for the second straight day.

Just a day after hitting his fifth home run of the season against the Seattle Mariners at home, the Texas Rangers’ $130 million Korean outfielder dialed long-distance again Thursday, this time on the road against the American League Central Division leader Detroit Tigers (27-16).

Choo struck out swinging in his first at-bat, but with his team already ahead 2-0 in the third inning, he walked and scored on Adrian Beltre’s two-run double.

Then in the fourth, with one on and one out, Choo hit his sixth home run of the year off the Tigers’ 22-year-old rookie left-hander Robbie Ray, to extend the Rangers’ lead to 7-0.

Choo walked again in the fifth and flied out to left in the seventh in a 9-2 laugher.

Choo seems to love day games, as his batting average is 70 points higher than at night this year. His on-base percentage is also close to 100 points higher during the day, and he has hit four home runs in just 36 daytime at-bats. At night, he has hit just two home runs over 109 at-bats.

The 27-year-old Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish was the winning pitcher, as he improved to 4-2 with 2.35 ERA for the season.