"I didn't know I could be happy in the first team."

KIA Tigers outfielder Choi Won-jun started as the second right fielder in the 8th match of the season against Doosan Bears in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 4th, achieving 1 hit, 1 home run, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored in 5 at-bats, leading his team to an 8-3 victory.

It was a continuous struggle until the 7th inning. Starting with a fly out to left field after one out in the first inning, in the 3rd inning with no outs, a fly out from the third baseman on the first pitch with runners on second and third, he was struck out looking after one out in the 5th inning, and faced more misfortune with a bunting attempt turning into a fly out in the 7th inning with no outs and runners on first and second.

Choi Won-jun's true value was demonstrated from the 8th inning. In a situation with two outs and one runner on base, he made a super catch of a large hit from pinch hitter Kim In-tae right in front of the right field wall warning track. A minimum of a 2-RBI double was expected, but he ended the inning with a stellar defensive play.

The stellar defense led to good hitting. Entering the 9th inning with a lead of 6-3 and no outs, he appeared and hit a 115m emphatic home run from the third pitch, a high fastball (141km) from Doosan rookie Hong Min-kyu, after a ball count of 1B-1S. It was his 4th home run of the season, occurring 18 days after the second game of the doubleheader against Doosan in Gwangju on May 17.

KIA manager Lee Beom-ho, in a post-game interview, noted, "Choi Won-jun's two-run homer in the 9th inning contributed to the victory."

After the game, Choi Won-jun spoke with reporters, smiling, "I think even if the stellar defense hadn't happened, I still would have hit a home run. I was feeling a bit anxious because I had been making a lot of mistakes recently, but it was something I had to do, so I worked harder on defense, and that gave me confidence. The manager definitely helped create an environment where I could feel more comfortable."

This year, in his preliminary free agent season, Choi Won-jun has been struggling with a batting average of .240, 4 home runs, and 15 RBIs over 41 games. Furthermore, his defense, which had to be error-free, was shaken up, leading to a punishment substitution in the game against KT Wiz in Suwon on May 21, and he faced a trial by being notified of his transfer to the second team the next day.

What was ten days in the second team like for Choi Won-jun? He reflected, "It became an opportunity to grasp many things. It had been so long since I went back and forth between the first and second teams that it gave me time to decide what mindset I should have playing baseball." He continued, "Playing baseball with younger players, I realized something. Being in the first team for too long made me take many things for granted, and I didn't know I was not happy and was under too much stress. I tried to change my way of thinking."

Manager Lee Beom-ho also revealed that he received reports about Choi Won-jun training diligently while he was in the second team. Choi Won-jun stated, "I've never played baseball insincerely. I've always been sincere." He added, "I thought that just because I had played many games in the first team, if I slacked off in the second team with my juniors, the manager wouldn't look favorably upon me. So I worked even harder, and I think he recognized that sincerity."

He also added, "I think the manager did not send me down just because of my mistakes. Since I was caught up in not being able to hit, I started having other thoughts in defense. It seems he wanted to send me a message regarding that. Now, I am working hard to avoid that as much as possible."

Since returning to the first team, Choi Won-jun has focused more on mental management than on techniques. In a bid to find psychological comfort, he even wrote the words 'initial mind,' 'happiness,' 'let's smile,' and 'enjoy' by hand on his cap with his wife.

Choi Won-jun explained, "I wrote words on my cap when I came up to the first team. I thought the reasons for my struggles were technical, so I tried everything but it didn't work out. So I wondered if I was suppressing myself too much mentally, thinking that I shouldn't be a burden to the team, and focused on my mental management."

Choi Won-jun conducted the interview with a consistently serious expression while wearing a cap that had the word 'let's smile' written on it. When reporters remarked that he didn't look cheerful, he stated, "Everyone has different standards. Those who know me well would know that I'm actually very happy right now," and let out an awkward smile.

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