The epitome of consistency… Double-digit home runs for 19 consecutive seasons
[부산=뉴시스] Reporter Kim Hee-jun = ‘Boy Merchant’ steadily accumulated home runs and became the KBO League’s all-time home run king. This is the story of Choi Jeong (37), the SSG Landers’ main hitter.
Choi Jeong-eun started as the third hitter and third baseman in the 2024 Shinhan Solbank KBO League game against the Lotte Giants held at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 24th and hit a left-handed solo shot against Lotte pitcher Lee In-bok in the top of the fifth inning.
Choi Jeong-eun, who came to the plate in the top of the 5th inning when SSG was trailing 4-7 with 2 outs and no runners, pulled the first pitch slider to the center without missing it and turned it into a home run.
It is the 10th home run of the season and the 468th home run of his personal career. With this, Choi Jeong-eun surpassed the 467 home runs set by Doosan Bears coach Lee Seung-yeop and rose to first place in the KBO League’s career with the most home runs.
History began on May 21, 2005. Choi Jeong-eun, who was selected in the first round of the 2005 rookie draft and joined SK Wyverns, the predecessor of SSG, hit his first home run in his debut against the Incheon Hyundai Unicorns on May 21 of that year.
In his first year, Choi Jeong hit only one home run. He had a humble start as the KBO league’s all-time home run king.
However, the following year, Choi Jeong-eun, who showed his potential by hitting double-digit home runs (12) at the age of 19, accumulated home runs with consistency. Although he has not often won the prestigious title of home run king, he has been very consistent.
Choi Jeong hit double-digit home runs for 19 consecutive seasons from 2006 to this year. Choi Jeong is the only player in KBO League history to hit double-digit home runs in 19 consecutive seasons. The second-place record in this category is the 16 consecutive seasons (2008-2023) recorded by Choi Hyeong-woo of the KIA Tigers.
From 2016 to last year, he hit more than 20 home runs every year, hitting 20 home runs for 8 consecutive seasons. This is the second-highest record following the 9 consecutive seasons written by KT Wiz Park Byung-ho from 2012 to 2022 (excluding the overseas expansion period from 2016 to 2017).
From 2010, when he first hit 20 home runs in a single season, to last year, the only seasons in which Choi Jeong did not hit 20 home runs were the 2014 and 2015 seasons, when he failed to complete 100 games due to injury.
Choi Jeong-eun, who hit his 100th home run against the Incheon Samsung Lions on September 30, 2011, 7 years after joining the team, reached the 200 home run mark against the Hanwha Eagles in Daejeon on June 1, 2016.
Choi Jeong-eun, who hit his 300th home run against Hanwha in Incheon on July 8, 2018, hit his 350th home run against Hanwha in Daejeon on July 24, 2020. He hit 350 home runs at the age of 33 years, 4 months, and 26 days, making him the youngest player ever to do so.
Jeong-eun Choi hit his 352nd home run in the Incheon LG Twins game on July 29, 2020, surpassing ‘Yangshin’ Yang Jun-hyuk and rising to second place in career home runs. The only person left above Choi Jeong-ui in the career home run rankings was coach Lee Seung-yeop.
Choi Jeong-eun became the second player in history to reach 400 home runs in the game against Gwangju KIA Tigers on October 19, 2021, following manager Lee Seung-yeop. Manager Lee Seung-yeop was a left-handed hitter. Choi Jeong was the first right-handed hitter.
Choi Jeong-eun, who hit his 450th home run against Incheon NC on August 9, 2023, finished the 2023 season after increasing his total number of home runs to 458, and boasted a fierce home run pace of hitting 10 home runs in 21 games at the beginning of this season, finally Manager Seung-yeop Lee succeeded in surpassing .
Although he is only 180cm tall, he boasts incredible wrist strength, earning him the nickname ‘Boy Boss’. However, even in the early days of Choi’s professional career, he was closer to a mid- to long-distance hitter than a slugger who produced many home runs.
However, in 2012, following the advice of manager Lee Man-soo, who was the head coach of SK at the time, he changed his batting stance to upper swing and became a home run hitter.
The upper swing, which puts the timing of the strike forward and kicks up from the bottom, is a hitting method that places importance on the launch angle with long hits in mind. Choi Jeong has natural strength and a long follow through (movement after swing), so she has the ability to increase distance.
Choi Jeong-eun, who changed his batting stance, hit 20 home runs in a season until 2011, but hit 26 home runs in 2012.
Choi Jeong, who revised and studied his batting posture every year, found the optimal swing angle in 2016. That year, he hit 40 home runs and became the home run king for the first time since his debut.
Choi Jeong won the home run title again in 2017 by hitting 46 home runs, the most in a single season, and in 2021, he hit 35 home runs to win the home run title for the third time in his career.
Choi Jeong, who prides himself on being sincere, is considered a hitter who always studies. Even though he has established himself as the best slugger in the league, he always studies and changes his batting posture to improve.
Choi Jeong’s eyes are now on the first 500 home runs in KBO League history. There are 32 home runs remaining until the unprecedented record of 500 home runs is reached.
Last year, even at the age of 36, Choi Jeong ranked second in the home run category with 29 home runs. Choi Jeong, who is still showing off his health, is expected to be able to achieve 500 home runs.
◎ Sympathetic media Newsis [email protected]
