39-year-old Choi Jeong reveals his final goal: "I will take off my uniform without regrets if I hit 600 home runs" [On-site interview]

*This content was translated by AI.

"If I hit 600 home runs, I will take off my uniform without any regrets."

Choi Jeong (39, SSG Landers), a "living legend" in KBO League home run history, has announced his final career goal: reaching 600 career home runs.

After finishing the game against KIA Tigers at Incheon SSG Landers Field on the 16th, Choi Jeong told reporters, "My desire to hit 600 home runs has grown significantly. I now think it's difficult, so perhaps I should say that makes me want to hit them even more. If I can reach exactly 600, I feel I will take off my uniform without any regrets."

In today's game, Choi Jeong achieved two major milestones at once. With the score 1-0 in his favor and one out in the bottom of the 5th inning with a runner on second base, he hit a two-run home run to left field off opposing starter Oller, becoming the first player in KBO League history to record 20 or more home runs for 11 consecutive seasons. Having reached 10 consecutive years of 20+ home runs from 2016 through last year, he extended his own record by one additional season. Following Choi Jeong are Park Byung-ho with 9 consecutive seasons (2012–2022, excluding 2016–2017 when he played overseas) and Lee Seung-yeop with 8 consecutive seasons (1997–2012, excluding 2004–2011 when he played overseas).

Additionally, this home run brought Choi Jeong to his second-ever achievement of 1,000 total extra-base hits. Since his debut in 2005, he has hit 538 home runs, 450 doubles, and 12 triples. The first player to reach this milestone was Choi Hyung-woo (43, Samsung Lions) during the Daegu Doosan Bears game on May 31 of this year. At that time, Choi Hyung-woo was 42 years, 5 months, and 15 days old, while Choi Jeong set the youngest record at 39 years, 4 months, and 18 days.

After going hitless in four games since the Doosan Bears game on the 7th, Choi Jeong added another home run. He said, "I just played the first game of the second half without any thoughts, thinking 'why can't I hit at least one before it's over?' and when the home run came out, I felt relieved and happy." He added, "The record I hold most affection for is hitting double-digit home runs, and this feels exactly the same." From his second professional season in 2006 through this year, he has hit at least 10 home runs for 21 consecutive years. This is also the longest record in KBO history, with Choi Hyung-woo ranking second with 19 consecutive seasons (2008–2026).

When asked about the secret to his consistent performance over more than two decades, Choi Jeong replied, "I don't dwell on the past and approach each season as if starting from zero. I also make a concerted effort to manage my body well."

Choi Jeong currently holds the KBO League record for most career home runs with 538. He has 62 more home runs to reach his stated goal of 600.

He will turn 40 years old by next February. After hitting 37 home runs in 2024 and 23 last year, Choi Jeong expressed uncertainty about when he might reach 600 home runs: "Pitchers have improved significantly, and the overall level has risen enormously... I truly don't know how much longer I can continue doing this. I'm just trying to survive one year at a time. If it really happens, I would be extremely happy."

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*This content was translated by AI.