Living legend Incheon’s ‘Boy Merchant’ Choi Jeong becomes KBO’s most home run king < Sports < News < Text of article

Incheon Today = Reporter Hyun Dong-min │Incheon SSG Landers Choi Jeong (37, infielder), who was called ‘Boy Merchant’, has become the ‘King of Home Runs’ in Korean professional baseball. It took him 20 years to become the home run king, from May 21, 2005, when he made his first appearance, to April 24, 2024, when he recorded his 468th.

The path taken by Jeong Choi, who went beyond Incheon and became the star of the Korean professional baseball league.

He was selected in the first round of the 2005 rookie draft and joined Incheon SK Wyverns, the predecessor of Incheon SSG. Afterwards, in the 2006 season, the second year of his debut, he recorded 12 home runs and began to be called ‘Boy Merchant’.

Since then, Choi Jeong-eun has played a key role in the team’s batting lineup, leading the team to advance to the postseason 12 times, advance to the Korean Series 8 times, and win the Korean Series 4 times, contributing to the establishment of the ‘Incheon SK dynasty’.

He only hit 368 home runs at Incheon SK, and the team’s home stadium, Munhak Stadium, became a graveyard for opposing pitchers who faced Incheon SK and Choi Jeong. 100 of the 468 records were surpassed after the team changed to Landers.

His consistency did not change even after joining the Incheon SSG Landers, the successor to the Incheon SK Wyverns. In his first year with the Incheon SSG mark, he recorded his 400th career home run, the second in KBO history, and achieved ‘the first double-digit home run in KBO history for 16 consecutive seasons.’ did.

Afterwards, he continued to record double-digit home runs in consecutive KBO seasons, helped Incheon SSG win the 2022 championship, and won a total of five championship rings.

And in the long-awaited 2024 season, Choi Jeong-eun showed a fierce home run pace from the beginning of the season, exciting fans who expected to achieve a great record.

However, in the game against the KIA Tigers on the 17th, the team and fans were worried as he was replaced at the end of the first inning due to an injury to his ribs due to a ball hitting his body. Fortunately, the severity of the injury was not serious.

On the 23rd, six days after his injury, Choi Jeong-eun started in an away game against the Lotte Giants and attempted to set a record by hitting a double in his first at-bat, but this time, ‘Sky’ stopped Choi Jeong.

Due to thickening rain, the game was declared invalid in the top of the 5th inning due to rain, and the record for the most home runs in KBO’s career had to be postponed again.

A new home run king is born, a new history to be written by Choi Jeong.

And Choi Jeong-eun achieved a record in the Lotte Giants game held at Sajik Stadium on the 24th. With this day’s home run, Choi Jeong recorded his 468th home run, the most home runs in his KBO career.

In the top of the 5th inning, when the team was losing 4 to 7, with 2 outs and no runners on base, Choi Jeong-eun hit the first pitch from opposing starting pitcher Lee In-bok (32, pitcher) and drew an arch that went over the left field wall.

It was the moment when he surpassed the record (467) of Doosan Bears manager Lee Seung-yeop (47), who was previously the record holder for the most home runs and was called the ‘national hitter’, and went from being the ‘head of the household’ to the ‘home run king’.

As if the Incheon SSG players did not want to let Choi Jeong’s great record come from a game in which their team lost, they scored 4 runs in the top of the 7th inning, starting with Choi Jeong’s walk, and succeeded in a 10-7 comeback. In the 9th inning, they added 2 runs and achieved a 12-7 comeback victory.

Choi Jeong-eun not only hit the most home runs in his KBO career, but also continued to hit double-digit home runs for 19 consecutive seasons.

Choi Jeong recorded the most home runs in his KBO career on this day, and from now on, he will set a new record every time he hits a home run.

Now, the new record left for him is 500 home runs in his KBO career, which no one has reached. Before his injury this season, Choi Jeong appeared at the plate 81 times and hit 9 home runs.

In other words, he hit one home run every nine at-bats. The 2017 season, which set the record for the most home runs in a single season with 46, was one home run per 11.5 at-bats.

How long can home run king Choi Jeong, known as the epitome of consistency, continue to hit and run? What is most clear is that he can write KBO history in every game.