(Daegu = Yonhap News) Reporter Dae-ho Lee = The lyrics to the beginning of the second verse of Lou Reed's 1972 famous song 'Perfect Day' include the lyrics 'Just a perfect day, Problems all left alone'.
These lyrics fit perfectly with the situation of Choi Hyeong-woo (42), a veteran outfielder for the professional baseball team Samsung Lions, who struggled with concerns about defense even before the game.
Choi Hyung-woo started as the fifth hitter and left fielder in the second game against the KIA Tigers in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League postseason playoffs (PO, 3 wins out of 5) held at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on the 27th.
He was unable to play in the first game the previous day because Koo Ja-wook, who had difficulty defending after returning from injury, played first, but was named in the starting lineup that day and played in a postseason game for the first time in 4,014 days as a member of Samsung since Game 5 of the Korean Series against the Doosan Bears on October 31, 2015.
Ahead of the game, Samsung coach Park Jin-man was asked questions about the use of Choi Hyeong-woo as left fielder.
Choi Hyung-woo played as a left fielder in only 6 games during the regular season, and in the final game against Daegu KT Wiz on the 12th, he even turned Choi Won-jun's batted ball into a hit in the first inning.
However, Coach Park covered it up, saying, “I think Choi Hyung-woo’s defense was underestimated.”
Samsung, which lost 1-5 in the first game with only 2 sporadic hits, had no choice but to maximize its offensive power even though Choi Hyung-woo's defense was somewhat unstable.
Hyung-Woo Choi was responsible for the team's first hit by hitting a clean right-handed hit against KIA starter Adam Ohler in his first at-bat in the second inning.
Even though it didn't result in a score, it was enough to wake up Samsung's batting lineup.
And in the 5th inning, ahead 4-1, with the bases loaded and 2 outs, he drew a walk against Lee Ui-ri and was responsible for the run.
In the top of the 6th inning, the defense, which had been so worrying, left a fantastic scene.
After two outs, Harold Castro hit a large ball that hit the left fence, and he caught the ball with a perfect fence play and threw it accurately to second base.
As expected of a player who joined the pros as a catcher 24 years ago, his throw was powerful and caught Castro at second base.
Samsung starting pitcher Ariel Jurado, who had completed 6 innings due to that out count, jumped up and down with joy like a child, and Ryu Ji-hyuk, who caught Choi Hyeong-woo's throw at second base, gave the ball to Choi Hyeong-woo as a souvenir and made everyone laugh.
And he completed a ‘perfect day’ with a home run in the bottom of the 7th inning to increase the score to 8-2.
In a situation where there was no runner with one out, Choi Hyung-woo targeted Kim Beom-soo's slider and launched a large solo gun with a distance of 128 meters that went well over the right fence.
Choi Hyung-woo played an active role with 2 hits in 3 at-bats, 1 home run, 2 RBI, and 1 run, leading the team to an 8-3 victory.
He played the second game at the age of 42 years, 10 months, and 11 days, and set the records for the oldest KBO League PS appearance (formerly NC Dinos Lee Ho-jun, 41 years, 8 months, 13 days), the oldest hit and RBI (formerly NC Lee Ho-jun, 41 years, 8 months, 7 days), and home run (formerly Samsung Kang Min-ho, 40 years, 2 months, 1 day).
Choi Hyeong-woo, who attended the post-game press conference, was asked what made him happier, the home run or Bosal, and smiled brightly, saying, "Bossal was a hundred times better."
He then lowered his stance, saying, "Originally, I didn't even intend to catch the runner. I caught it and threw it right away, and even when I saw it, it went incredibly well. I was lucky enough to catch it."
Even though he showed good defense, defense is still a challenge for Choi Hyeong-woo.
He said honestly, "I still feel the pressure. It continues to be there. In a short-term game, one mistake can mean the difference between victory and defeat."
Regarding manager Park Jin-man's announcement that he would use him as a left fielder in the third game, which will be moved to Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, Jeollanam-do, he laughed and said, "I need to make a phone call. I don't think you realize that the baseball stadium is bigger (than Daegu)."
Above all, Choi Hyung-woo was grateful to his fans.
He said, "When I caught an ordinary fly ball, they cheered loudly, and when I ran to catch a foul fly, they clapped. I was thankful that they gave me preferential treatment."
Regarding setting various records for being the oldest at bat, he said, "It has no meaning," and made it clear that he would only focus on the game.
