The trade for Choi Seong-ho by LG Twins seemed to be a huge success from the very first day.
Choi Seong-ho, the trade addition for the professional baseball team LG, started as a designated hitter in the seventh game of the season against KT Wiz in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League on the 26th at Suwon KT Wiz Park, achieving 1 hit in 4 at-bats and scoring 1 run against his former team. It was a valuable performance that led the team to a thrilling 4-3 comeback victory.
On the 25th, after the trade with Lim Jun-hyung, Choi Seong-ho was included in the LG starting lineup for the first time. He faced his first at-bat in the top of the second inning with no runners on and two outs, during a tied game of 0-0. Like other trade additions, he removed his helmet upon entering and bowed to the fans in the first base and central stands, honoring his former supporters.
Perhaps due to over-enthusiasm against his former team, Choi Seong-ho made a fly out to the second baseman in his first at-bat and then a fly out to the center fielder as the leadoff hitter in the top of the fifth inning. In the top of the sixth inning with two outs and a runner on first, he was again weakly retired with another fly out to the second baseman. It was clear that his hitting feel was off, as it had been 19 days since he last played in the first team after the game against SSG in Suwon on the 7th.
Choi Seong-ho made a big impact in his final at-bat. Leading off the ninth inning, trailing 2-3, he hit the first pitch fastball from KT's closer Park Young-hyun, smashing a double that hit the right-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit in about two months since his triple against NC Dinos in Suwon on May 6.
Choi Seong-ho advanced to third base during the sacrifice bunt by the following batter, Gu Bon-hyeok. Then, Park Hae-min created a scoring opportunity with a hit by pitch and a stolen base to set up a 1-out, 2nd and 3rd base chance. Choi Seong-ho, now on third base, scored home when Shin Min-jae faced Park Young-hyun’s wild pitch, leveling the score to 3-3. Empowered by Choi Seong-ho’s double and tying run, LG firmly held onto second place with Shin Min-jae's 1-RBI game-winning hit.
After the game, Choi Seong-ho said, “Honestly, I wanted to hit a hit so much from my first at-bat that I exerted too much effort. I thought if I hit one quickly, I would feel more comfortable.” He noted, “(Park) Hae-min hyung saw that I really wanted to do well against my former team and advised me to relax. (Kim) Hyun-soo hyung also gave me hitting advice, which helped me hit more comfortably as I continued to bat. I thought I should just look at the fastball since (Park) Young-hyun's fastball is good, and that led to a good result.”
Why did Choi Seong-ho, who had been with his former team for five years, feel he needed to perform well against them? He explained, “I thought my first hit at LG was important, but since the opponent was KT, I felt more eager to do well. They sent me from KT to LG, and if I couldn’t play well, the people who sent me would probably be disappointed. I was happy to be able to repay them a bit today.”
Choi Seong-ho played first base on that day and chatted and joked with many former teammates including KT's first base coach Park Kyung-soo who had successfully reached base. Choi Seong-ho shared, “(Park) Kyung-soo coach advised me to do well and not get hurt. Whenever KT scored, he would wink. So when LG scored 2 points, I returned the wink immediately. When Ahn Hyun-min got a hit and came to first base, I joked to hear Park Kyung-soo coach's strategy orders together.”
Thanks to Choi Seong-ho's ninth-inning double and dramatic tying score, LG defeated KT 4-3, marking their first ninth-inning comeback victory of the season. It signifies that Choi Seong-ho, who joined through the trade, has successfully started his journey.
Finally, when asked what kind of player he wants to be in LG, Choi Seong-ho replied, “Since they brought me here, I want to be a player who doesn't cause any trouble for the LG team. That would mean I'm doing well. I will do my best to hear that they were right to bring in Choi Seong-ho.”
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