SEOUL, Now that he is a home run away from making South Korean baseball history, SSG Landers slugger Choi Jeong would love nothing more than to set the record as soon as he can.
Choi smacked his 467th career home run in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) on Tuesday against the Kia Tigers. His solo shot off closer Jung Hai-young tied the score at 4-4 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon, just west of Seoul. Two batters later, Han Yoo-seom finished the game with a walk-off, two-run home run off Jung.
After drilling a 3-1 fastball from Jung, Choi is now tied at the top of the KBO home run leaderboard with Lee Seung-yuop, former Samsung Lions icon and now manager of the Doosan Bears. It’s just a matter of time before Choi becomes the new home run king in South Korea.
“I’m not really thinking about breaking the record. I just want this situation to be over as quickly as possible,” the reticent Choi said with a smile. He had also said in a pregame media scrum Tuesd
ay that he could live without the media attention accompanying his record chase.
“I went through some nervous moments before tying the record. And once is enough for me,” Choi added. “Until the day I retire, I will just try to reach double figures in home runs every year.”
Choi has nine dingers this year to lead the league, and No. 10 will not only give him the all-time record but will also extend his record double-digit home run streak to 19 seasons.
Choi, who went hitless in his first three at-bats before hitting a single in the seventh inning, admitted he was distracted all game long.
“I felt a lot of pressure right from the first inning. I couldn’t really concentrate, and I tried to do too much,” Choi said. “I swung at some bad pitches.”
Choi stepped into the box with the Landers trailing 4-3 and down to their final out. Choi represented the tying run, but he said he felt calm at the plate.
“If I had come up with runners on, then it would have been a more stressful situation for me. There were two o
uts, and I was able to just relax and put on an aggressive swing,” Choi said. “I had the count in my favor, and I figured the pitcher would throw his best pitch to a spot where he felt most confident. I had my timing down perfectly and ended up hitting that home run. I am so honored to be tied at the top.”
Choi said he wouldn’t want to celebrate his record-breaking home run when the Landers are trailing.
“That’s what I am most worried about. I don’t want to celebrate my home run when we’re losing. I’d feel terrible doing that,” Choi said. “I’d be happy if I can avoid that situation.”
The Landers and the Tigers will be back at it again for the second game of their three-game set Wednesday. The Landers are in the midst of a six-game homestand, with the LG Twins visiting them for three games starting Friday.
Source: Yonhap News Agency