The oldest Mr. All-Star, the oldest grand slam hitter in Korea, and the Kia EV3 vehicle importer
Choi Hyung-woo, 18th home run of the season
Choi Hyeong-woo, who is two years younger than professional baseball KIA Tigers manager Lee Beom-ho (42), will turn 41 in December.
But the bat is still hot enough to make you want to go away in your 20s. There is no iron man who laughs at the aging curve (decline in skill due to aging).
Choi Hyeong-woo, who is leading the league in RBIs (83), was selected as the oldest Mr. All-Star (MVP) in the All-Star Game and received a prize of 10 million won.
In the first game of the second half against the LG Twins, he broke the record for the oldest domestic player to hit a grand slam, surpassing Lee Dae-ho (retired).
In the home game against Samsung Lions on the 17th, he hit a two-run homer directly into the Kia home run zone installed behind the right-center fence, and also took away the new electric vehicle, EV3.
The Tigers, whose parent company is Kia Motors, an automaker, have been operating the Kia Home Run Zone since the opening of the Gwangju Kia Champions Field in 2014.
The KIA Tigers will give away a car on display to any KIA or opposing team batter who hits a home run directly into the KIA home run zone.
Choi Hyeong-woo became the 8th batter in history and the first this year to attack the Kia home run zone.
Is there another batter who swings the bat so vigorously even after reaching his 40s?
Lee Seung-yeop, the ‘national hitter’ who was born with a big gun, showed off power worthy of his name even after he turned 40, according to Doosan Bears manager Jeong Do-na.
In 2016, when he turned 40, the manager had a batting average of 0.303, 27 home runs, and 118 RBIs. In 2017, his final season as a professional, he had a batting average of 0.280, 24 home runs, and 87 RBIs.
Even if he had played for a few more years, this manager would have achieved the same records as in his later years.
Yang Jun-hyeok continued his refined skills with a batting average of 0.329 in the year he turned 40, but he retired the following year in 2010 with a batting average of 0.239.
Lee Dae-ho, the ‘Joseon’s No. 4 hitter’ who is a more welcome face on entertainment programs these days, also celebrated his brilliant professional career in 2022 when he turned 40 with a batting average of 0.331, 23 home runs, and 101 RBIs.
The ‘National Hitter’ and ‘Joseon’s No. 4 Hitter’, who are revered as legendary hitters in Korean professional baseball, meaningfully ended their active careers with baseball fans across the country as the first and second members of their retirement tour.
Choi Hyeong-woo, who overcame the sorrow of being released and belatedly blossomed his skills, has already joined the ranks of living legends, leaving behind career records that are no less than those of manager Lee Seung-yeop and Lee Dae-ho.
Choi Hyeong-woo’s records, which include a career batting average of 0.311 (13th), 391 home runs (3rd), 1,625 RBIs (1st), and 2,414 hits (3rd), are even more remarkable because they are still ongoing. 파워볼사이트