43-year-old Choi Hyung-woo hit a home run, stole a base, and did it all! The cold Samsung bat, surpassing Choo Shin-soo to claim the KBO’s oldest record, is not a welcome sight.

*This content was translated by AI.

KBO’s oldest batter, Choi Hyung-woo (43, Samsung Lions), could not simply smile despite the meaningful record.

Samsung lost 0-2 to LG Twins in an away game of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season held at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium on the 24th.

The game fully reflected Samsung’s recent struggles. With Choi Hyung-woo’s addition, Samsung’s lineup was once rated as the strongest in the league, but since June, it has become nothing more than a dead bat. The team’s batting average of 0.246 ranked third from the bottom, and their OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.707 placed seventh in the league.

LG needed just five hits to overpower Samsung. Austin Dean led the way with three hits in four at-bats, including a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth inning for the go-ahead run, one RBI, one walk, and one run scored. Park Hae-min also added energy to the lineup with one hit in two at-bats, two walks, and one run scored, leaving no room for even brief mistakes. The bottom of the sixth inning, where Moon Bo-kyung’s sacrifice fly drove in one run from the bases loaded due to Park Seung-gyu’s error, was proof of that.

In Samsung’s lineup, only Choi Hyung-woo shone. Choi reached base via a walk after a full-count battle on the eighth pitch in the bottom of the second inning. During Ryu Ji-hyuk’s at-bat, he boldly stole second base, surprising the 23,750 fans in attendance.

Drawing on his veteran focus and experience, he achieved his first stolen base of the season. LG catcher Park Dong-won failed to catch Anders Tollhurst’s fourth pitch, a slow curveball, and Choi Hyung-woo did not miss the opportunity.

With this, Choi Hyung-woo recorded a stolen base for the first time in 287 days since September 10, 2025, during a game against Samsung in Gwangju while playing for KIA. It was a historic achievement: his first stolen base of the season and the new KBO record for the oldest stolen base at 42 years, six months, and eight days. The previous record was held by Choo Shin-soo (42, retired), a well-known fast runner even in Major League Baseball (MLB). Choo Shin-soo had recorded a stolen base on August 9, 2024, at the age of 42 years and 27 days during a game against Doosan in Incheon.

Normally, such an achievement would be met with jokes or celebrations after the game. However, Choi Hyung-woo, known as the league’s slowest runner with only 30 stolen bases since his first-team debut in 2002, did not receive the usual fanfare. Samsung did not create a celebratory atmosphere. Even with his first stolen base in a while, Choi failed to score when he walked again in the bottom of the fourth inning, as subsequent batters could not drive him in.

Choi Hyung-woo, at 43, was the only one to hit the pitch from reliever Yassel Larios, who throws a fastball reaching up to 160 km/h. Samsung, having experienced a powerless defeat, will start ace Ariel Furado tomorrow (the 25th). Furado is a representative unlucky pitcher who receives the league’s joint-worst run support, allowing 3.9 runs per nine innings.

The opposing pitcher is Lee Jeong-yong. Lee, a right-handed pitcher, has struggled this season with a 6.05 ERA in 16 games. Can Samsung’s lineup regain its offensive power and return home victorious?

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*This content was translated by AI.