Kia Tigers slugger Choi Hyung-woo (39) has tied Doosan Bears manager Lee Seung-yeop for the most RBIs in his career.
Choi hit an RBI single to center field against NC third baseman Kim Young-gyu in the bottom of the seventh inning of a 6-10 home game against the NC Dinos in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at Gwangju Gia Champions Field on Sunday.
Choi, who had 1,497 career RBIs the day before, went 1-for-4 with a walk and an RBI. With his 1498th career RBI, he moved into a tie for first place on the all-time list with Lee Seung-yup. He is also within striking distance of becoming the first player in KBO history to reach 1,500 hits.
After making his debut in the 2004 season, Choi recorded his first hit on April 1, 2008, against the LG Twins, and reached 500 hits in 2013 and 1,000 in 2017.
With five consecutive 100-RBI seasons from 2014 to 2018, tying him with Lee Dae-ho (retired) and Park Byung-ho (current KT WIZ) for the most consecutive seasons in the category, Choi has 37 RBIs this season, including today’s game. At this pace, he is well within reach of reaching 100 RBIs for the sixth consecutive season.
The game was won by NC over KIA 10-7. NC broke the game open early, scoring seven runs in the top of the third inning to take advantage of KIA starter Yoon Young-chul. On the day, NC pounded out 19 hits in the top and bottom of the order to wreak havoc on the KIA mound. KIA scored six runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, trailing 1-10, but it wasn’t enough to turn the game around.
NC’s Park Min-woo went 4-for-5 with a home run, two RBIs and a run scored, while Son Ah-seop, Park Gun-woo, Seo Ho-cheol and Do Tae-hoon each had three hits. NC starter Widener went six innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits and two walks with seven strikeouts to improve to 2-1 on the season.
For KIA, the loss hurt more than the game itself, as a series of injuries to key players hit the team.
KIA second baseman Kim Sun-bin injured his right thumb while fielding a hit by NC’s Jason Martin in the top of the fourth inning and had to be replaced. A medical examination revealed a suspected fracture.먹튀검증
Third baseman Ryu Ji-hyuk was also replaced by Byun Woo-hyuk in the bottom of the sixth inning when he complained of extreme pain after being hit by a pitch from opposing starter Widener. He was taken to a nearby hospital for X-rays, which revealed no major problems with his bones or ligaments. Ryu has had bad luck with injuries this season, having been hit in the right foot four times by foul balls.