‘450 home run’ Choi Jung, dreaming of surpassing Lee Seung-yeop to 500 home run

Choi Jeong (36), who became the first right-handed hitter in the KBO league to break 450 home runs, looks beyond Lee Seung-yeop to reach the 500 home run mark.

In the match against the NC Dinos at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 9th, in the bottom of the 4th inning against the NC Dinos, Choi pulled off starter Seong-Young Choi’s 4th outside change-up and hit a solo home run over the middle-left wall.

It was the 21st of the season and the 450th home run of his personal career.

Choi Jeong-eun became the second player in the history of the KBO League to hit the 450 home run mark, following Doosan Bears manager Lee Seung-yeop. Manager Lee was a left-handed hitter. Choi Jeong is the first right-handed hitter to hit 450 home runs in the KBO League.

Coach Lee, who played in Nippon Professional Baseball for 8 years from 2004 to 2011, hit 450 home runs in 1811 games at the age of 40 years, 9 months and 3 days in a match against Hanwha Eagles in Daejeon on May 21, 2017 while wearing a Samsung Lions uniform. did.메이저사이트

Choi Jeong-eun, who hit 450 homers in 2,124 games, was behind coach Lee in terms of the number of games, but at the age of 36 years, 5 months and 12 days, she set the record as the youngest player.

The record for the most home runs held by manager Lee in the KBO league has also come into view. The record held by coach Lee is 467 home runs, and if Choi Jeong-eun draws 17 more arches, he will be on his shoulder.

With SSG remaining 49 games this season, if Choi Jeong arrives, he may catch up with coach Lee’s record within this season. It is expected that this will be achieved by next year at the latest.

It is not impossible for Choi Jeong, who boasts a steady appearance, to achieve 500 homers, an unprecedented feat in the KBO League.

The 450 home run is a record that Choi Jeong has accumulated through his persistence.

On June 1 of this year, Choi Jung-eun hit a home run in two consecutive hits against Samsung in Incheon, setting a double-digit home run record for the first time in the KBO League for 18 consecutive seasons.

On the 27th of last month, he recorded 20 homers for 8 consecutive seasons in the match against Samsung. It is the first-place record in this category along with Lee (1997-2012, excluding overseas expansion). Park Byeong-ho (KT Wiz) set a record of 20 homers in 9 consecutive seasons from 2012 to 2022 (going overseas in 2016-2017) during the Kiwoom Heroes era.

In 2006, his second year as a pro, Choi Jeong-eun, who earned the nickname ‘boy trader’ by hitting 12 home runs at the age of 19, has consistently hit double-digit homers since 2006, but was more like a mid- to long-distance hitter with a high batting average and many long hits. .

Choi Jeong-eun, who hit 20 homers for the first time since his debut in 2010 and saw potential as a giant catcher, attempted a transformation. He hit 26 home runs in 2012 and 28 in 2013.

In 2014-2015, when he couldn’t complete 100 games due to injury, he only hit 14 home runs and 17 home runs, but in 2016 he hit 40 home runs and became the home run king for the first time since his professional debut. rose to

It was consistent after that. He hit 30 or more home runs in every season from 2018 to 2021, except for 2019 when he hit 29 home runs. Last year, he hit 26 homers.

Although he is only 36 years old, Choi Jeong-eun is showing off his healthy appearance this year as well. He once ran for the home run lead, and is currently running second in home runs.

Choi Jeong, who hit an average of 23.8 homers per year from the first year of his debut to last year, may reach 500 homers next year if he continues his steady performance.

Choi Jeong-eun, who signed a six-year contract with SSG ahead of the 2019 season for a total of 10.6 billion won, his contract expires next year. However, if Choi Jeong continues his form this year, there is a high possibility of renewing his contract. Considering that players who passed the bulhog at the age of ten are still showing off their skills, it is expected that Choi Jeong-do will be able to continue his career as a player.

Coach Lee is also rooting for Choi Jeong. When Choi Jeong hit 400 home runs, coach Lee emphasized, “I hope Choi Jeong can hit 500 home runs without injury. In Korean professional baseball, the 500 home run record must come out.”

Choi Jeong-eun is determined to continue to show a steady appearance. “My goal is to hit a double-digit home run every year until his retirement,” he said.