Choi Hyeong-woo, a tough guy, says despite his MVP-level performance, “I’m sick and tired now.”

(Daegu = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Gyeong-woo = Born on December 16, 1983, Choi Hyeong-woo, the top employee of the Samsung Lions, is a representative sharpshooter(?) in professional baseball.

Since his late 30s, whenever he has been interviewed by reporters, he has been harsh, saying, “It’s hard,” “It hurts,” and “I don’t think I can do this anymore.”

Every year, before the regular season, he even used the word 'retirement' without hesitation, saying, "I think it's time to stop now," and "I hope my juniors surpass me quickly."

It was the same this year when he transferred to his former team, Samsung.

Choi Hyeong-woo said on his way out of spring camp last January, “I think it will be difficult to get 100 RBIs now,” and “I will just do my best.”

However, Choi Hyung-woo, now 42 years old, performed just as well as he did in his prime this season.

He played in 137 regular league games, recording a batting average of 0.301 and hitting 18 home runs.

The RBI recorded 106 runs. Following the 2024 season, he surpassed 100 RBI again for the first time in two years.

Choi Hyung-woo also performed well in the playoffs (PO, 3 wins in 5 games) with the KIA Tigers.

Although he missed the first game of PO, he recorded a batting average of 0.385, 2 home runs, and 4 RBIs in 4 games from games 2 to 5.

The on-base percentage rose to 0.429 and the slugging percentage rose to a whopping 0.846.

He also shined in defense.

When starting outfielder Koo Ja-wook had to serve as the designated hitter due to an injury, he stepped up to left field, dispelling the concerns of those around him and showing stable defense.

On the 27th of last month, Choi Hyung-woo recorded a fantastic assist in the 6th inning of the second game of the PO game, catching the opposing team's Harold Castro, who was playing second base, with an accurate throw.

Although he lost the series MVP award to teammate Ariel Jurado, he performed just as well.

Hyeong-Woo Choi was still stern despite the praise from those around him.

After leading the team to a 6-1 victory and the team's advancement to the Korean Series (KS) with 2 hits and 1 RBI in 3 at-bats in the 5th PO game at home at the Daegu Samsung Lions Park on the 1st, he said at a press conference, "I don't have any pressure on defense, but I feel sick and tired, perhaps because of my age. I think I need to discuss (about playing defense) with the manager in KS."

He continued, “In the past, I felt like having to play defense would help my batting, but now it’s much more helpful to take a good rest on the bench and then go out,” making the press conference room burst into laughter.

There was not a single reporter who nodded at Choi Hyung-woo’s words.