'What if it hadn't been for Choi Hyung-woo of 'Wa' Samsung! Is the 'Ohtani-level' batted ball speed real? → 176.9 km/h 'Bang'

*This content was translated by AI.

Ahead of this season, 'key hitter' Choi Hyung-woo (43), who returned to Samsung Lions, saved the team from crisis with terrifying power. Recording batted ball speeds on par with Major League level, he activated a three-game consecutive home run streak, turning the Daegu Samsung Lions Park into a cauldron of excitement.

On the 6th, Samsung secured a 2-1 victory over Kiwoom Heroes in a home game at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the '2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League'. The win was built on Choi Hyung-woo's tying solo home run and the pitching staff's stingy performance. With this victory, Samsung surged to three consecutive wins, securing a midweek three-game winning series.

As the score indicates, it was a tight game. The foundation for Samsung's win on this day was undoubtedly Choi Hyung-woo's bat in the bottom of the first inning. Samsung started nervously at 0-1 after Kiwoom took the lead in the top of the first. It was a situation where the early momentum could have easily gone to Kiwoom. The savior who stepped in was veteran Choi Hyung-woo.

In the bottom of the first with two outs, Choi Hyung-woo stepped into the batter's box. After watching Kiwoom's starter Bae Dong-hyun's first pitch, he swung without hesitation at the second pitch, a 137 km/h cutter that moved right into the center of the strike zone. The well-hit ball shot like a bullet toward the right-field wall, resulting in a massive tying solo home run with a distance of 134 meters. It was truly a case of not missing a mistake pitch.

This was Choi Hyung-woo's seventh home run of the season and the moment he tasted success for three consecutive games. Choi's last three-game consecutive home run streak occurred while he was with the KIA Tigers, from the April 28 game against LG at Jamsil to the May 1 game against KT in Gwangju, approximately two years ago. Wearing the Samsung uniform again, he has proven his ability to hit in a manner reminiscent of a 'second prime'.

Especially, the batted ball speed of this home run reached a staggering 176.9 km/h. This is the highest batted ball speed among Choi Hyung-woo's home runs this season, a figure often recorded by 'power hitters' like Shohei Ohtani (32, LA Dodgers) and Aaron Judge (34, New York Yankees) in Major League Baseball. It was the result of Choi Hyung-woo's explosive swing speed and precise impact, defying his age.

His performance this season is reminiscent of his prime. In 31 games, Choi Hyung-woo boasts a batting average of 0.363 (113 at-bats, 41 hits), 7 home runs, 26 RBIs, and an OPS (On-base Plus Slugging) of 1.069. His OPS is tied for second place with LG Twins foreign hitter Austin Dean. In particular, his adjusted runs created, as calculated by the baseball statistics site Statz, reaches a remarkable 184.2. This surpasses his career-high of 183.5 recorded with Samsung in the 2011 season. Although more than 100 games remain, at this pace, it means he could be having a career-high season.

After the game, Choi Hyung-woo remained calm. He said, "I've recorded consecutive home runs and 13 consecutive hits, but there is no special secret. I always strive to stick to the basics." He added, "When chances arise, I must take advantage of them, and when there are runners on base, I must create runs. Just thinking about the basics, I'm getting lucky and hitting well."

He also did not forget the veteran's grace of passing the ball to his teammates. He added, "Rather than praising just one player today, I want to praise all the players. The pitchers held them well, and the batters did their jobs."

Samsung manager Park Jin-man (50) also praised Choi Hyung-woo's performance. Manager Park said, "Choi Hyung-woo immediately hit a tying home run early in the first inning, preventing a situation where we might have handed the momentum to the opponent," highly evaluating his decisive hit in a crucial moment.

After tying the game with Choi Hyung-woo's home run, Samsung held off Kiwoom's comeback in a tense battle to secure the victory. Mocking the term 'aging curve', Choi Hyung-woo, who swung the bat with three consecutive arcs exactly 735 days later, is driving Samsung's upward momentum.

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*This content was translated by AI.