Choi Jeong ties KBO home run record — in pictures

Baseball

Published: 17 Apr. 2024, 16:16 Updated: 17 Apr. 2024, 17:19

Choi Jeong ties KBO home run record — in pictures

Left: Choi Jeong hits a two-run home run for the SK Wyverns in his sophomore year in the KBO in 2006. Right: Choi rounds the bases after tying the all-time KBO home run record with 467 career home runs on Tuesday. [JOONGANG ILBO; YONHAP]

SSG Landers slugger Choi Jeong on Tuesday hit his 467th career home run in the bottom of the ninth inning during a game between the Landers and Kia Tigers at SSG Landers Field in Incheon. That home run tied the all-time KBO record held by retired Samsung Lions star Lee Seung-yuop.

Choi, who could break the record within the next few days, is a slugging powerhouse, hitting more than 10 home runs every season since his sophomore year in 2006 and more than 20 home runs for eight straight seasons from 2016, a streak that is still alive. In 2017 he hit a career best 46 home runs, and has won five Korean Series titles with the Landers, both in their current iteration and as the SK Wyverns under the previous owners.

Here's a snapshot of Choi's career so far in photos.

The oldest photo in the JoongAng archive shows Choi Jeong hitting a two-run home run with two outs at the top of the eighth inning in a game between the Samsung Lions and SK Wyverns at Daegu Civic Baseball Stadium in 2006. Choi debuted a year earlier in 2005 and passed the 10 home run mark in 2006. He has hit at least 10 home runs every season since then. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Choi Jeong hit a two-run come-from-behind home run during Game 3 of the 2008 Korean Series between the SK Wyverns and the Doosan Bears. The Wyverns went on to win the series 4-1, beating the Bears to the title for a second consecutive year. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Choi Jeong hits a two-run home run in Game 2 of the 2010 Korean Series between the SK Wyverns and Samsung Lions at Munhak Baseball Stadium in Incheon. SK went on to win the series, the third title of Choi's career. [JOONGANG ILBO]

A baseball signed by Choi Jeong during the 2016 season, when he hit 40 home runs. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Choi Jeong rounds the bases after hitting a grand slam against the Kia Tigers at SK Happy Dream Stadium in Incheon on Sept. 13, 2017. Choi hit 46 home runs that season, the most of his career to date. [YONHAP]

Choi Jeong hits an RBI in a game between the SK Wyverns and NC Dinos at Masan Stadium in Masan, Changwon on March 14, 2018. The Wyverns went on to win the Korean Series that year, the fourth title of Choi's career. [YONHAP]

Choi Jeong, now of the SSG Landers after the team changed hands before the 2021 season, rounds the bases after hitting a home run at the bottom of the fourth inning during a game against the Samsung Lions at SSG Landers Field on June 29, 2021. That home run was his 20th of the season, making him the fourth player in KBO history to hit 20 home runs in six straight seasons. [YONHAP]

Choi Jeong heads home after hitting a three-run home run in the sixth inning of a game against the Kiwoom Heroes at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on July 12, 2022. The Landers went on to win the Korean Series that year, the fifth title of Choi's career. [YONHAP]

Choi Jeong hits a home run at the bottom of the ninth inning of a game between the SSG Landers and Kia Tigers at SSG Landers Park in Incheon on Tuesday. The long ball, the 467th of his career, saw him tie the all-time KBO home run record with Samsung Lions star Lee Seung-yuop. [YONHAP]

Choi Jeong is doused in water as the SSG Landers celebrate his 467th career home run during a game against the Kia Tigers at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on Tuesday. [YONHAP]

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]