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 gratefu.
