WBSC Premier12 star Jeong Choi tied five-time league MVP Seung-Yeop Lee for the most home runs in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) league history. Choi hit his 467th homer in the bottom of the ninth against the Kia Tigers' 22-year-old reliever Hai-Young Jung.
Choi's homer tied the game at four. The Landers hitters went on to win the game. Left fielder Guillermo Heredia singled, and right-fielder Yoo-seom Han hit a two-run to walk off the game, 6-4.
The Landers (13-8) trail the first-place Tigers by two games
Choi, a six-time Gold Glove third baseman and a two-time KBO Home Run King, has played in the KBO since 2005 (2,182 games and counting) and has only played for the Landers, at the time named SK Wyverns. He helped them win the 2008 Korean Series and was named the final series MVP.
He also holds the all-time record for runs scored (1,384 and counting). In September 2023, he surpassed Lee's previous record of 1,355 runs.
Choi's international career started in 2004 when he helped Korea to a bronze medal in the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup. He was on the silver medal Korea at the World Baseball Classic in 2009 and contributed to a Premier12 silver medal in 2019.
Lee, 47, is the current Doosan Bear manager. Nicknamed The Lion King, he is the most iconic Korean hitter. Lee made his KNO debut in 1995 and appeared in 1,906 games. He won four Korean Series and was honoured five times as the league's MVP. Lee won ten Gold Gloves and was the Home Run King five times. He also contributed to two Japan Series titles and hit 159 home runs over 797 games at the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) level.
Lee was the hero of the 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medal and helped Korea win bronze at the 2000 Sydney Games. He led the inaugural World Baseball Classic in home runs and made the All-Tournament Team.
