'Daughter Fool Reservation': How KT's Choi Won-jun Has Changed "I Didn't Want to Show My Daughter a Struggling Father When She Is Born"

*This content was translated by AI.

KT Wiz outfielder Choi Won-jun (29) has announced a changed mindset for his wife and their daughter, who is due to be born soon.

On the 16th, at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium, in the visiting game against LG Twins during the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season, Choi recorded one hit (one home run), three RBIs, one walk, one strikeout, and one run in four at-bats, leading KT to a 4-3 victory.

It was a lightning-fast home run. In the bottom of the second inning with two outs and runners on first and third bases while both teams were tied 1-1, Choi attacked the first pitch from Anders Tolhurst. The ball cleared the right-field fence for a go-ahead three-run homer, and LG failed to catch up, securing the win for KT.

After the game, speaking with reporters, he shared his thoughts: "Since it was my first time facing Tolhurst, I couldn't match his pitch trajectory and faced difficulties. However, seeing various pitches in my first at-bat allowed me to approach the second at-bat with a clear strategy, which led to a good result."

He added, "I used to be sensitive; when I struck out, I would overthink and attach too much meaning to it. Now, I try to forget such moments as quickly as possible and reset myself, which has improved my mindset."

At one point, Choi was deeply stressed by slumps, meticulously following routines and even writing family support messages on his cap. Regarding this, he responded: "Ultimately, what matters most is my own mindset. No matter what I write on my cap, if I don't change myself, it means nothing. Now, instead of relying on external things, I am making tremendous efforts to reflect on myself and make changes."

He then mentioned Austin Dean (LG) and Victor Reyes (Lotte). Austin joined LG in 2023 and led the team to two Korean Series championships, earning recognition as one of the top foreign players in the KBO. On this day alone, he hit his 28th home run of the season, taking sole leadership in the home run race. Reyes, who won the batting title, is no different.

Choi said, "I sometimes watch videos of players like Austin. Even those top hitters occasionally hit balls that seem to go nowhere. Watching them made me think: if even better hitters make such mistakes, why should I expect myself to be perfect every time? I also believe records aren't determined solely by current standings, so I try not to check my ranking too closely."

His beloved wife and their first daughter, due in early August, became the catalyst for Choi's change in mindset. Known since his KIA days as a player who enjoyed playing with seniors' children, Choi is practically a "daughter fool" by reservation.

Choi stated firmly: "Last year, my poor performance caused my wife significant hardship. Seeing that made me realize I needed to change. With our daughter due in early August, I didn't want her to see her father struggling too much at the baseball field. It wasn't easy, but I tried hard to make that change."

Choi joined KT this year on a four-year FA contract worth up to 4.8 billion won. He is currently enjoying a career-best season with a .361 batting average (117 hits in 324 at-bats), eight home runs, 47 RBIs, and 69 runs scored across 80 games, posting an on-base percentage of .440 and a slugging percentage of .515. Last year, he struggled with a .242 batting average over 126 games, but this season marks a complete turnaround. As a result, there are even jokes that KT successfully acquired Choi at his lowest point.

When reporters jokingly asked, "Shouldn't you consider revising your contract by now?" Choi laughed and replied, "It would be great if they did." He then added with a smile: "The general manager tells me he's grateful every time he sees my performance. That single remark means more to me than anything else could. When I joined KT, there was much criticism. It was due to my own shortcomings, but it feels good that I can prove the general manager's judgment was correct on the baseball field."

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*This content was translated by AI.