KIA Tigers’ “pillar” Choi Hyung-woo (39) set another record.

Choi Hyung-woo started the 2023 KBO League game against SSG Landers at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on June 6 as the No. 4-designated hitter and led off the top of the second inning with KIA trailing 0-1, hitting a solo home run off opposing starter Kim Kwang-hyun. On a 2-ball-2-strike count, he timed his changeup perfectly.

It was Choi’s 10th home run of the season. It was his 16th consecutive season with double-digit home runs, dating back to 2008, when he established himself in the first team. This ranks second all-time. The first was set by SSG’s Choi Jeong (2006-2023) in the 2021 season. In third place is Jang Jong-hoon (1988-2022), the leading home run hitter in the Korean Baseball Organization.

Choi has rejuvenated this season. He struggled in 2021, hitting just .233, and in the first half of 2022, he batted in the low 20s. However, he found his groove in the second half of the season and was batting in the triple digits through May. He cooled off a bit after mid-June, but he rebounded with his first home run in 11 games on June 20 against the Hanwha Eagles.

Continued his strong showing against the league’s best pitcher, Kim Kwang-hyun. He hit his fifth home run in his 109th career meeting (based on at-bats). His batting average against him is now over 3%.

Choi reached 1,500 career RBIs with his two-run homer against Hanwha on March 20, knocking current Doosan Bears manager Lee Seung-yeop (1,498), who previously led the KBO in that category, into second place. After reaching the milestone, he had only two more RBIs before extending his record.

The home run show was not over. In the top of the fifth inning, after KIA scored four runs in the fourth to take a 6-1 lead, Choi again led off with a solo home run off Kim Kwang-hyun. He took advantage of a first-pitch slider. It was his first multi-hit game in 14 games since June 16 against the NC Dinos.

With Choi Hyung-woo leading the offense in the early and middle innings, KIA held off a late rally by SSG to win 7-6. “Choi Hyung-woo’s multi-homer game in the center field helped us win the game,” said KIA head coach Kim Jong-guk.메이저사이트

“It’s encouraging that we’ve resumed our run production after a brief lull. With the team’s firepower heating up, it’s great to see the No. 4 hitter step up.

After the game, Choi said, “The starting pitchers for both teams in this game (on June 6) are the best pitchers in the league, so we were focused from the first at-bat. We got a good result, and it’s good that the team was able to win.” Choi Hyung-woo added, “I felt bad for the juniors because I haven’t been hitting well lately. I was lucky to hit a multi-homer game today. As much as possible, I want to keep my hitting until the end of the first half so that we can win as many games as possible and finish with a 5 percent winning percentage.” “I think that makes it even more meaningful,” he said of reaching 10 home runs for the 16th consecutive season.