KIA Tigers’ “Pillar” Choi Hyung-woo (39) set another milestone.
Choi Hyung-woo started as the fourth 메이저놀이터 and designated hitter in the 2023 KBO League away game against SSG Landers at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 6th and hit a superior solo home run from opposing starter Kim Kwang-hyun in the top of the second inning when KIA was losing 0-1. In the ball count, two balls and two strikes, the change-up was targeted at the right timing.
It was Choi’s 10th homer of the season. It was the moment when he recorded double-digit home runs for 16 consecutive seasons since the 2008 season when he settled in the first division. This is the second time ever. The first record was recorded by SSG Choi Jung (2006-2023) in the 2021 season. Jang Jong-hoon (1988-2022 season), the leading home run hitter in professional baseball, came in third.
Choi Hyung-woo has rejuvenated this season. He was sluggish with a batting average of 0.233 in the 2021 season, and only had a batting average in the early 20% range in the first half of the 2022 season. However, he found himself in the second half, and this season he had a batting average of .300 until May. Although it has slowed down a little since mid-June, it set the stage for a rebound by hitting a home run in 11 games since the match against the Hanwha Eagles on June 20.
He continues to be strong against Kim Kwang-hyun, the league’s representative pitcher. He hit his fifth home run in his 109th meeting (based on at-bats). His batting average against his opponent also exceeded 30 percent.
Choi Hyung-woo recorded 1,500 RBIs with a two-run home run against Hanwha on the 20th of last month, bringing Lee Seung-yeop (1,498), the current manager of the Doosan Bears, who was the No. 1 player in the KBO League, to second place. After reaching the milestone, there were only two additional RBIs, but they increased the record again on the same day.
The home run show is not over. Choi Hyung-woo hit a solo home run against Kim Kwang-hyun in the top of the fifth inning when KIA scored four runs in the fourth inning and led 6-1. I hit the first slider. It was the first multi-pointer in 14 games since the NC Dinos match on June 16.
KIA took the lead with Choi Hyung-woo leading the attack in the early and mid-game, and shook off SSG’s strong pursuit and won 7-6. KIA manager Kim Jong-kook said, “Choi Hyung-woo scored a multi-home run in the centerline, which helped the team win.”
It is encouraging that the production of RBIs, which had slowed down for a while, has resumed. That’s why the fourth batter hit the climax at a time when the team’s firepower is getting hotter.
After the game, Choi Hyung-woo said, “The starting pitchers of both teams (on the 6th) are pitchers representing the league, so I played the game with concentration from the first at-bat. “I got good results, and it’s good that the team can win,” he said. Choi Hyung-woo then said, “I felt sorry for my juniors because I haven’t been able to hit well recently. I was lucky to have a multi-homer today. “I want to maintain my sense of hitting as much as possible until the end of the first half and win as many games as possible to finish with a 50% winning rate,” he said. As for achieving 10 home runs in 16 consecutive seasons, he said, “That’s why I think it’s a more meaningful victory.”
