Cleveland Indians outfielder Shin-Soo Choo still hasn’t gotten over his May 2 arrest for drunken driving.
Choo, hitting .242 with five homers, told reporters Sunday that he’s trying too hard to make amends for the embarrassment he caused his fans in Korea and in Cleveland.
“There’s been a lot of stress this year,” Choo said.”I need to close my ears, close my eyes.
“”(After) I was arrested], I wanted to play good in the field,’ he told MLB.com. “I show better play and then try to make people forget about that happening.”
Manager Manny Acta gave Choo a day off on Saturday and dropped him from third to sixth in the batting order for Sunday’s game against Texas.
Choo, who has batted .300 or high each of the last three seasons and hit at least 20 homers in each of the last two, told reporters he’s trying to return to the mindset he had 11 years ago when he left Korea to play in the U.S.
“For the first time, I’ve backed up my mind to 11 years ago,” he said. “I’m playing in the major leagues. I’m still playing g in the best league on the best team in baseball. I’m trying to slow down my mind a bit.”
A breathalyzer test showed that Choo, 28, had a blood-alcohol level of .201 when he was stopped. Ohio’s legal limit is .08.
