'2,700 Hits–4,600 Total Bases' Choi Hyung-woo’s Legend: “I Tried Changing My Approach” — The 43-Year-Old Veteran Is Still Evolving

*This content was translated by AI.

Choi Hyung-woo (43, Samsung Lions) has once again rewritten professional baseball history by marking his first-ever career total of 2,700 hits with a home run.

On the 18th, Choi started as the designated hitter in the fourth spot for the home game against SSG Landers at Daegu Samsung Lions Park and drew an arc in the bottom of the eighth inning.

With the score tied 1-1, two outs, and no runners on base in the bottom of the eighth, Choi connected with a forkball from an SSG relief pitcher and sent it over the right-field fence. It was his 14th home run of the season and a historic blast that made him the first player in KBO League history to reach 2,700 career hits. After failing to get a hit in his previous three at-bats, Choi broke into a smile with this single swing.

At the same time, he also reached exactly 4,600 total bases — another unprecedented milestone in the KBO League’s history spanning over four decades.

Choi began his career spectacularly in 2008 with Samsung, hitting 19 home runs to earn Shin In-sang-eul (수상) and went on to lead the team to four consecutive championships during his prime years.

After becoming a free agent (FA) following the 2016 season, Choi signed a four-year, 10 billion won contract with his hometown team KIA Tigers, helping them win the championship. After the 2020 season, he re-signed for three years totaling 4.7 billion won. Ahead of his third FA period, he stayed with KIA on a multi-year non-FA contract worth 2.2 billion won over one plus one year, once again leading KIA to a championship and earning consecutive designated hitter Golden Glove awards.

After gaining free agency status again following last season, Choi returned to his original team Samsung on a two-year deal worth up to 2.6 billion won.

Although investing a significant amount of money in a player well past his prime, there was no controversy over overpayment — because Choi’s performance remained at its peak.

The same holds true this season. In 101 games, he has posted a .316 batting average (114 hits in 361 at-bats), 14 home runs, 76 RBIs, and 48 runs scored, with an on-base percentage of .414, slugging percentage of .482, and OPS (on-base plus slugging) of .896. He is particularly strong in scoring situations, hitting .331 there.

After not hitting a home run since the Lotte game on the 19th of last month, Choi finally drew an arc against Hanwha on the 15th — a three-run homer that gave his team momentum.

Manager Park Jin-man said the next day: “Although we got extra-base hits yesterday, I felt that by bunting and making contact in my first at-bat, I was getting into a rhythm. If I had pulled the ball for a home run in my first at-bat, I might not have gotten three hits. That timing improvement also helped me hit a home run later in the game.” He added, “When your rhythm is off, you often find it by bunting rather than pulling the ball, and even mistimed contact can help sharpen your feel.”

Choi Hyung-woo said: “All I wanted was to bring runners home. My RBI numbers have been too low lately. Although my timing hasn’t been great recently, I really wanted to hit in that situation because I wanted to help the team.”

Although he has already achieved everything a veteran could hope for, Choi continues to seek change. He stated: “I tried changing my practice routine. Today was the first day, and it didn’t feel bad. I plan to stick with this method until the end of the season.”

And then, on that day, he wrote another historic chapter. Having accomplished most of what is possible, Choi always puts his team first. Whenever given the chance, he tells younger players: “When you have an opportunity to win, you must seize it.” Choi is genuinely committed to helping his teammates. “Every year, I try to offer whatever help I can to the players, and at the same time, I receive a lot of support from them. That’s what being part of a team means. We will continue to support each other through tough times and deliver great games until the very end,” he said.

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*This content was translated by AI.