Who said the winner of the massive trade was the Lotte Giants? Choo Jae-hyun, who moved from Lotte to Doosan Bears, hit a long ball and gave the game-winning hit, leading the team to escape a two-game losing streak.
Choo Jae-hyun started as the eighth left fielder in the 11th game of the season against KT Wiz in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on 5th, swinging a fierce bat with 2 hits, 2 RBIs, and 1 run scoring in 4 at-bats, leading the team to a commanding 6-2 victory and escape from a two-game losing streak.
He started with a powerful long hit from the first at-bat. In the bottom of the third with no outs and no runners on during a 0-0 game, he struck a two-bagger to right-center against KT's starting pitcher William Cuevas, marking his first hit in two games since the match against the Samsung Lions on the 3rd and his first long hit in 86 days since the home run against the Hanwha Eagles on April 10. Choo Jae-hyun stepped on third base due to a wild pitch but faced an inning-ending situation without a follow-up hit.
The highlight came in the second at-bat. Trailing 0-1 with no outs and bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth, Choo Jae-hyun stepped to the plate and perfectly connected with Cuevas's first pitch cutter at 139 km/h, hitting a two-RBI game-winning single to right field. Taking advantage of a fielding error by right fielder Ahn Hyun-min, the runner at first, Kim Min-seok, also reached home, while Choo Jae-hyun advanced past second base and reached third base, where he was at the moment of the game-winning hit. He continued to contribute further by scoring when Jung Soo-bin hit a single to right.
After the game, Choo Jae-hyun said, “I’m happy the team won, and I’m especially glad to have contributed to (Choi) Won-jun's first win of the season. There had been a lack of offensive support from the fielders when Won-jun was on the mound. Today, it seems like everyone came together with a single will for the team’s victory and Won-jun's win,” congratulating Choi Won-jun on his first win after 15 appearances.
Behind the game-winning hit was the one-point advice from Senior Coach Koto Koji. Choo Jae-hyun explained, “Before stepping into the plate in the fifth inning, Coach Koto told me to focus on making solid contact as usual rather than approach it specially since there were runners on base. Even if I hit into a double play with no outs and bases loaded, runs could still score, so it was effective to step up to the plate comfortably following Coach Koto's advice,” adding, “I practiced thinking simply rather than complexly at the plate even in the second team.
Doosan will hold a retirement ceremony for 'eternal genius shortstop' Kim Jae-ho in the game against KT on the 6th. Choo Jae-hyun stated, “There is a special game tomorrow, and I will do my best to continue the winning streak. Lastly, I want to thank the fans who cheered loudly today.”
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