Landers manager has newfound respect for slugger chasing home run record

INCHEON, April 17 (Yonhap) -- After watching his slugger Choi Jeong tie the South Korean baseball league's home run record with a ninth-inning blast Tuesday night, SSG Landers manager Lee Sung-yong said he has a newfound respect for the 37-year-old veteran.

Choi hit his 467th career home run against the Kia Tigers at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon, just west of Seoul. He joined former Samsung Lions star Lee Seung-yuop atop the career home run list in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).

Choi didn't just have the glory to himself; his solo shot tied the score at 4-4 with two outs in the bottom ninth, and the Landers went on to win the game on a walkoff, two-run shot by Han Yoo-seom.

Lee is only 21 games into his first season as manager and said Wednesday the win from the previous night was "the best game of my life."

"We had a couple of home runs I never expected to see in that situation. I want to thank the players for making me feel emotions that I never felt as a player," Lee said in a media scrum before hosting the Tigers in the second game of their three-game series. "And Choi Jeong had such a dramatic home run. I can't imagine the pressure he must be dealing with. It must be so tough to play under that much burden. As a former player myself, I have so much respect for him."

Choi, a reticent type, has often said he would prefer not to deal with so much scrutiny and he would like to break the record as soon as possible. Lee said he is in the same boat.

"It's the kind of pressure I never had to deal with during my playing career," said Lee, who was no slouch himself, with a career that spanned three decades. He is tied for 17th with 2,001 games played. "I've been careful not to talk to him too much. I am sure he's stressed out, and so I've been trying to leave him alone. I'd love to see the record home run today."

Lee took over the Landers over the winter after the team finished third in the regular season but got knocked out in the first round of the postseason. It was considered so disappointing, coming on the heels of their Korean Series title in 2022, that manager Kim Won-hyong was fired with two years left on his contract.

Lee said he has been pleased with what he has seen so far in the new season. They came into Wednesday's game riding a three-game winning streak and sat in fourth place at 13-8-0 (wins-losses-ties).

"I've been keeping a close eye on every little detail on all players, like how they take care of their bodies and how they behave in the ballpark. And I've been able to see why this franchise has been so good over the years," Lee said. "I think there are a lot of intangibles that make us such a great team."

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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