Lions veteran happy to cede spotlight to younger teammates

By Yoo Jee-ho

DAEGU, Oct. 25 (Yonhap) -- Even at the advanced age of 42, Samsung Lions veteran Choi Hyoung-woo was one of the best hitters in South Korean baseball in the regular season.

He was one of just seven players to bat at least .300 and drive in at least 100 runs in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). Considering his production, it would seem like a no-brainer for the Lions to put him into their starting lineup to begin their postseason.

However, injury-related and other factors kept Choi out of the lineup against the Kia Tigers for Game 1 of their best-of-five second round Sunday. The game was eventually canceled due to rain, but Lions manager Park Jin-man will likely stick to the same batting order for the game rescheduled for Monday.

Left fielder Koo Ja-wook is just coming back from a hamstring injury, and with his mobility compromised, Koo will be limited to designated-hitting duties for the time being. Normally, Koo being the designated hitter (DH) would have meant Choi, the Lions' usual DH, getting the start in the outfield, as he did in six games in the regular season.

Manager Park, though, inserted Park Seung-kyu, a more athletic defender at age 26, into the left field, not wanting to risk some adventurous times there with Choi in action in these high-stakes games.

With Choi facing his former team -- he played for the Tigers from 2017 to 2025 before rejoining the Lions, who drafted him in 2001, last winter -- Choi was expected to be among the principal figures this week. Unless Koo recovers to a point where he can play in the outfield, Choi may only pinch-hit the entire series.

"Personally, I think this is the right way to go," Choi said at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the southeastern city of Daegu. "In order for us to win, this is the way we should do things."

Manager Park left the door open for Choi to play in the outfield at some point in the series. Park using Choi for just one pinch-hit appearance may be a waste of his talent. Keeping Choi in the game will likely mean asking him to play in the outfield at least for a couple of innings.

When informed of the manager's plans, Choi smiled and said, "I don't know. If I am told to take the field, then I guess I have to do it."

"It is difficult enough to get a start in the outfield, but taking over midgame is even more nerve-racking. My legs will be shaking," Choi added. "But we will see how things play out. I just think that the lineup without me is good enough to win the series. I don't know if I will really have to play in the field. We have so many talented young guys here."

Choi, though, said being asked to pinch-hit in a key spot will not be as stressful for him.

"I don't typically feel pressure in those spots," he said. "Fielding is really not my forte. But when it comes to hitting, I can control how I approach my at-bat and stick to my own routine."

Whether he gets the start or sits on the bench, Choi said he was "excited" to take on his former team in a postseason series.

"It feels a lot different than playing another opponent," Choi said. "I think it is going to be fun. I have been keeping in touch with my former teammates over there. But once the series tomorrow, we will all try to win."

The Lions received a bye to this series after finishing with the second-best record in the regular season. The Tigers, No. 3 seed, had to play an extra round to get here, and they swept the defending champions LG Twins last week.

Asked to share his message with Kia players, Choi cracked: "I told them, 'You guys have been playing too well. You are not really that good. You are all going crazy.'"