Choo Shin-soo of the SSG Landers returns to the dugout after his final regular-season at-bat in the Korea Baseball Organization against the Kiwoom Heroes at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon, west of Seoul, on Sept. 30, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
INCHEON, Sept. 30 (Korea Bizwire) — Choo Shin-soo, the most successful South Korean hitter in Major League Baseball (MLB) history, appeared in his final regular-season game on home soil Monday.
The 42-year-old outfielder and designated hitter for the SSG Landers stepped in as a pinch hitter for Ha Jae-hoon in the bottom of the eighth inning against the Kiwoom Heroes in their final regular-season contest of the 2024 Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season.
After being introduced, Choo was greeted by a thunderous ovation from a sellout crowed of 23,000 at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon, just west of Seoul. Choo took off his helmet and bowed to fans around the stadium, and did the same toward the visitors’ dugout on the third base side.
Against rookie reliever Kim Yeon-ju, Choo swung on a 1-1 fastball and grounded out to second base. As Choo returned to the dugout, he was greeted by his teammates as if he had just homered, and his manager Lee Sung-yong presented him with a bouquet of flowers.
“I never expected that kind of reception. No one gave me any heads-up. And when I turned around from first base and saw my teammates lined outside the dugout, I was really surprised,” Choo said afterward. “I was so grateful. Even though I was born in Korea, I had spent so much time overseas that a lot of things here are new to me. And I’ve had so much help from my teammates here. They gave me the fuel to keep going, and I really appreciate that.”
Choo announced in December last year that he would hang up his spikes after the 2024 season. He has been hobbled by shoulder pains all year and had been limited to only 77 games of the team’s 143 games before Monday.
The Landers beat the Heroes 7-2 to set up a tiebreaker game Tuesday against the KT Wiz to determine who will advance to the wild card round of the postseason. Manager Lee said before Monday’s game that Choo is questionable for the postseason. His pinch-hit appearance Monday was mostly ceremonious with the outcome all but determined.
Choo Shin-soo of the SSG Landers acknowledges fans before taking his final regular-season at-bat in the Korea Baseball Organization against the Kiwoom Heroes at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon, west of Seoul, on Sept. 30, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
Choo said his wife, Ha Won-mi, became emotional when he told her earlier Monday that he could play in the game as a pinch hitter. Choo said he was mostly calm because he didn’t have high expectations for himself.
“I hadn’t practiced for nearly a month, and it would have been too greedy on my part to expect anything without really trying,” Choo said. “So more so than the result of my at-bat, I was just happy that I had a chance to greet these fans here.”
Choo signed with the Landers in 2021 and became the oldest player in KBO history to tally at least 20 home runs and 20 steals in a season. The following year, Choo helped the Landers to the Korean Series title.
This year, Choo set records as the oldest position player in the South Korean league to appear in a game, get a hit, hit a home run and steal a base.
Choo offered to take a league-minimum salary of 30 million won (US$23,000) this year and to donate all of that to charities.
For his KBO career, Choo had 54 home runs, 205 RBIs and 51 steals in 439 games. Long known for his discerning eye at the plate, Choo finished with a career .388 on-base percentage in the KBO.
Choo’s KBO career was preceded by 16 seasons in MLB, spent with the Seattle Mariners, the Cleveland Indians (currently Guardians), the Cincinnati Reds and the Texas Rangers.
Choo signed with the Mariners in 2000 as a pitcher out of high school but soon converted to an outfielder.
Choo owns virtually all MLB hitting records for a South Korean player, including games played, home runs, RBIs and steals, with no one else from the country having matched his productivity and longevity.
Choo belted 218 home runs — which had been an MLB record by an Asian-born hitter until the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani passed him earlier this month — and knocked in 782 runs in 1,652 games. He swiped 157 bags, and enjoyed three seasons of at least 20 homers and 20 steals.
In 2013 with the Reds, Choo had 21 homers, 20 steals, 112 walks and 107 runs, becoming the 12th player in MLB history with those numbers.
As a Ranger two years later, Choo became the first South Korean player to hit for the cycle in the majors. And in 2018, Choo set a Rangers franchise record by reaching base in 52 consecutive games, and earned his first and only All-Star selection.
Choo Shin-soo of the SSG Landers runs to first base after hitting a grounder in his final regular-season at-bat in the Korea Baseball Organization against the Kiwoom Heroes at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon, west of Seoul, on Sept. 30, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
Choo played his final MLB season during the height of the pandemic, with the 162-game season shortened to 60 games. Teams played in front of empty stadiums, save for cardboard cutouts of fans.
Throughout this year, as his final game approached, Choo often lamented never having a chance to properly bid farewell to Rangers fans in 2020 and talked about how he wanted a chance to see fans in his final KBO game.
He got his wish Monday night.
“Obviously, the final game here felt much different than the final one in Texas. I really missed this kind of atmosphere,” Choo said. “It’s not just about getting a standing ovation. I just wanted to say thank you to fans for their support over the years. I want to thank the Landers for giving me this opportunity.”
Choo said he wouldn’t have entered the game if the score had been tight in this must-win game for the Landers and thanked Choi Jeong for hitting two homers, including a grand slam, to give his team a 7-1 lead through seven innings.
“Choi Jeong really wanted me to play in this game, but I told him that I wouldn’t do it unless we were up big in late innings,” Choo said. “He created that opportunity for me, and I am really thankful for that.”
The Landers are now a win away from reaching the postseason, but Choo said he didn’t think he’d be healthy enough to play in October.
“It looks like it’s going to be a bit difficult for me to play in the postseason. I think the guys who have helped the team reach this point have to keep playing. They deserve that,” Choo said. “If an opportunity presents itself, I will gladly be the cheerleader in the dugout for this team. I will have to talk to the team about this.”
As for his future after baseball, Choo said: “I just want to take some time off. Physically and mentally, I am exhausted.”
Choo was known for his generosity while in MLB — once giving $1,000 to each of 191 minor league players in the Rangers system in 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic hit — and brought the same spirit to the KBO. He has donated over 3 billion won during his time in the South Korean league.
Choo was also an outspoken critic against outdated ballpark facilities in the KBO, and prompted changes at both his home park and other stadiums in the league.
Choo turned down the Landers’ offer of a retirement ceremony this year, saying he didn’t want to be a distraction while the team was fighting for its postseason life down the stretch. The Landers will hold a ceremony to recognize Choo’s career sometime next year.
“This is my fourth season in Korea, and I feel like it’s been 10 years,” Choo said with a smile. “After I signed out of high school, I would maybe spend a couple of weeks a year here. And now that I’ve lived here, I realized this is so much better than what I had read and heard in the media.”
(Yonhap)
