Ageless wonder looking forward to yet another Korean Series trip with Lions

By Yoo Jee-ho

DAEGU, Nov. 1 (Yonhap) -- It has been 11 years since Choi Hyoung-woo last played in a Korean Series with the Samsung Lions. That drought will end Tuesday when the Lions take on the regular-season champions KT Wiz in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) championship showdown.

Choi, the oldest player remaining in this postseason at 42, first played for the Lions from 2002 to 2016. He played in every Korean Series from 2010 to 2015, winning four straight titles beginning in 2011.

Choi then moved to the Kia Tigers before the 2017 campaign and went on to win two more championship rings during his nine-year tenure that ended in 2025. He rejoined the Lions in December last year.

And on Sunday, Choi helped end the season of his former team, driving in the first run of the Lions' 6-1 win over the Tigers in Game 5 of the second round at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the southeastern city of Daegu.

The Lions pursued Choi in free agency last winter in hopes of winning their first championship since 2014 and they are now four wins away from accomplishing that.

"It has been such a long time. Of course, our goal at the start of this season was to win the Korean Series. But honestly, I had my doubts," Choi said. "I wondered how much I could help the team at my age. But seeing the way my teammates competed during the season, I started feeling confident we could get it done.

"We came up short and finished in second place in the regular season but here we are now," Choi added. "We will give it everything we have and see what happens."

Even at his advanced age, Choi remains one of the KBO's top hitters. In this series, he batted 5-for-13 with two home runs and four RBIs.

He also played in left field in four of the five games, after only logging six games there in the regular season. Koo Ja-wook, the team's primary left fielder, was coming back from a late-season hamstring injury and could only serve as designated hitter (DH), forcing Choi, the usual DH, into action on the field.

Choi recorded an assist in Game 2 but looked overwhelmed at times, too.

"As the series went on, I felt less stressed out about playing defense. But now my whole body is aching," Choi said with a laugh. "I am dying out here. I need to talk to my coaches about this."

When asked if playing on the field helped him at the plate at all, Choi said, "In the past, even if I was never a good defender, I thought playing out there helped me stay sharp in the box. But now, I just want to rest on the bench in between at-bats."

In addition to contributing on defense, Choi also played the role of a sage veteran, offering advice to his younger teammates.

Kim Ji-chan, the 25-year-old leadoff man, said he heeded Choi's advice Sunday and it led to his biggest game of the series. Kim batted 3-for-4, drove in three runs and also scored three times.

"Hyoung-woo said we have to get after it and play with aggression, because it could be our last game of the year," Kim said. "He said we had to make sure we won't have any regret at the end. So I went up there and swung the bat with confidence. It helped me get those big hits today."

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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