Veteran slugger Choi Hyoung-woo of the Samsung Lions has become the first player in KBO League history to record 1,000 career extra-base hits.
Choi started as the cleanup hitter and left fielder in the home game against the Doosan Bears at Daegu Samsung Lions Park on Wednesday. With the score tied 2-2 in the bottom of the third inning, two outs and a runner on second, he drove a go-ahead RBI double down the right-field line.
The hit gave Choi 553 career doubles, which combined with his 20 triples and 427 home runs brought his career extra-base hit total to 1,000. No player has reached the 1,000 extra-base hit milestone in the 44 years since Korean professional baseball was founded in 1982.
Choi went 1-for-3 with one RBI, one run scored and two walks on the day. He currently leads the league's all-time rankings in hits (2,649), doubles, RBIs (1,779) and total bases (4,523).
Samsung rode Choi's go-ahead hit to a 9-4 victory. After losing two straight games to Doosan on grand slams, Samsung exacted revenge with a focused offense and a steady pitching performance. Samsung's No. 3 hitter Koo Ja-wook went 4-for-4 with four RBIs, while starter Yang Chang-seop earned his fourth win of the season with a strong outing of six innings, four hits allowed and two runs.
