Choi Dong-Won
Encyclopedia
Choi Dong-Won (Hangul
: 최동원, Hanja
: 崔東原) (May 24, 1958 – September 14, 2011) was a South Korea
n pitcher
in the Korean professional baseball league who played for the Lotte Giants
and Samsung Lions
. Choi batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Busan
.
. In 1976, he led his team to win the Blue Dragon Flag National Championship
, setting a high-school record for most strikeouts in a major-tournament game with 20 in the semifinal and earning 4 out of the team's 5 wins during the tourney. In September 1976, Choi was selected for the South Korean junior national team and competed in the 3-game friendly series against Japan
where he hurled a one-run complete game victory in Game 1, and racked up another victory the very next day in Game 2 coming up on relief in the third inning and throwing seven innings of one-run ball.
Upon graduation from high school, Choi entered Yonsei University
and played college baseball from 1977-1980. In November 1977, Choi was first called up to the South Korea senior baseball team and played an important role in the team's first world championship at the 1977 Intercontinental Cup
held in Nicaragua
.
After graduation from Yonsei University in 1981, Choi signed with the Lotte
amateur baseball team. In August 1981, Choi competed for South Korea in the 1981 Intercontinental Cup
where he posted a 2-0 record and an ERA of 1.32. Choi took a perfect game
with 11 strikeouts into the bottom of the ninth inning against Canada
in round-robin phase before giving up a single
. However, he was eventually named the tourney's Best Pitcher.
showed a strong interest in Choi, regarding him as having the potential to play in the big league immediately.
The Blue Jays' scouts went to see Choi six times before signing him to a major league contract reportedly worth around $250,000, an unprecedented bonus at the time. Meanwhile, South Korea was in the process of forming its own professional baseball league. When the government discovered Choi was heading to Toronto, it threatened to jail the scouts if they tried to leave the country with the contract.
The Blue Jays planned on bringing Choi to Blue Jays' spring training for the 1983 season, but the government intervened again.
Choi was given a choice: Serve a mandatory military commitment before going to Canada, or pitch in the Korean professional league and have his military service waived. Choi eventually opted for the latter, declaring for the KBO
Draft after the 1982 Amateur World Series
.
in the first round of the 1983 KBO Draft.
He had a respectable rookie season, posting a 9-16 record and an ERA of 2.40 with 148 strikeouts. Wearing uniform number 11, Choi hurled 9 complete games and one shutout, and was ranked fourth in ERA and strikeouts.
Choi established himself in 1984 with a breakout season for the Giants. He was 27-13, ranked first in wins, and fanned a league-leading 223 batters during the season. Choi also lowered his ERA to 1.92, second-lowest in the league behind OB Bears pitcher Jang Ho-Yeon (1.58), and posted the second-highest innings pitched
total in a season in KBO history with 284.2 (on the contrary, ERA champion Jang Ho-Yeon pitched only 102.1 innings in the season). In the 1984 Korean Series
, the Giants beat the Samsung Lions
in seven games. Choi started for the Giants four times and threw four complete-games with a 3-1 record as a starter, with his final outing being Game 7. Choi accumulated one more win as a long reliever
in Game 6, coming up on relief in the fifth inning and hurling five shutout innings with six strikeouts. As a clutch "iron arm" pitcher, Choi finished the Series with an astonishing 4-1 record and an ERA of 1.80 in 40 innings pitched in nine days. He still holds the most unbreakable records for most wins (4) and most innings pitched (40.0) in a single championship series.
Choi's 1986 season ended as one of the finest he had ever posted. He posted a 19-14 record and an ERA of 1.55 with 208 strikeouts in 267 innings pitched. Choi pitched a career-high 17 complete games and his 1.55 ERA was the lowest of his eight-season career. He led the league in innings pitched, and was runner-up in wins, ERA and strikeouts (208).
and Kim Si-Jin
. After the trade, his career quickly spiraled downward. His statistics did not improve while with the Lions. In just over two years with the Lions, he posted a 7-7 record with an ERA of 4.50.
Choi became the first member of the 1,000 strikeout club on May 20, 1990 when he fanned Lee Kwang-Eun of the LG Twins
in the fifth inning in Daegu
. However, after the 1990 season, Choi announced his retirement from baseball as a player.
at a hospital in Goyang
, Gyeonggi-do
on September 14, 2011, aged 53. Choi was survived by wife, son and brother.
The Lotte Giants
retired Choi's squad number
11 on September 30, 2011. The number is the club's first-ever retired number since the club was founded in 1975. He will be portrayed by Cho Seung-woo in the upcoming film, Perfect Game
about the two top pitchers him and his rival Sun Dong-Yeol
in the Korea Baseball Organization
league during the 1980's.
Hangul
Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...
: 최동원, Hanja
Hanja
Hanja is the Korean name for the Chinese characters hanzi. More specifically, it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated into the Korean language with Korean pronunciation...
: 崔東原) (May 24, 1958 – September 14, 2011) was a South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
in the Korean professional baseball league who played for the Lotte Giants
Lotte Giants
The Lotte Giants are a professional baseball team based in Busan, Korea, and one of the original franchises of the Korea Baseball Organization league. The Lotte Giants are owned by the Japanese-South Korean Lotte conglomerate....
and Samsung Lions
Samsung Lions
Samsung Lions Baseball Club is a Korea Professional Baseball team founded in 1982. They are based in Daegu and are members of the Korean Baseball Organization. Their home stadium is Daegu Baseball Stadium...
. Choi batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Busan
Busan
Busan , formerly spelled Pusan is South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul, with a population of around 3.6 million. The Metropolitan area population is 4,399,515 as of 2010. It is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world...
.
Amateur career
In 1975, Choi gained national attention at the Champions Invitational Tournament where he threw a complete game no-hitter against 1974 national champion Kyungbuk High School and took another no-hitter into the ninth inning in the team's next game before it was broken up by an infield singleInfield hit
An infield hit is an outcome in baseball in which the batted ball stays in the infield but neither the batter nor any of the runners are put out. If the batter and the runners reach safely due to an error, it is not considered an infield hit. Runners normally only advance one base in an infield...
. In 1976, he led his team to win the Blue Dragon Flag National Championship
High school baseball in South Korea
In Korea, high school baseball is played at a very high level by students who train year round. Unlike in Japan or the U.S. where nearly every high school fields a team, there are only about 60-70 Korean high school baseball teams which makes the competition tantamount to an all-star league of...
, setting a high-school record for most strikeouts in a major-tournament game with 20 in the semifinal and earning 4 out of the team's 5 wins during the tourney. In September 1976, Choi was selected for the South Korean junior national team and competed in the 3-game friendly series against Japan
Japan national baseball team
The Japan national baseball team is the national baseball team representing Japan in international competitions. They are one of the more successful baseball teams in the world, having won the World Baseball Classic in 2006 and 2009...
where he hurled a one-run complete game victory in Game 1, and racked up another victory the very next day in Game 2 coming up on relief in the third inning and throwing seven innings of one-run ball.
Upon graduation from high school, Choi entered Yonsei University
Yonsei University
Yonsei University is a Christian private research university, located in Seoul, South Korea. Established in 1885, it is one of the oldest universities in South Korea, the top private comprehensive universities in South Korea, and is widely regarded as one of the top three comprehensive...
and played college baseball from 1977-1980. In November 1977, Choi was first called up to the South Korea senior baseball team and played an important role in the team's first world championship at the 1977 Intercontinental Cup
Intercontinental Cup (baseball)
The Intercontinental Cup is a baseball tournament between the members of the International Baseball Federation . It was first held in 1973 in Italy, and was held every other year following until 1999....
held in Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
.
After graduation from Yonsei University in 1981, Choi signed with the Lotte
Lotte (conglomerate)
Lotte Co., Ltd. is a South Korean-Japanese Jaebeol and one of the largest food and shopping groups in South Korea and Japan. Lotte was established in June 1948, in Tokyo, by Japanese-educated, Korean businessman Shin Kyuk-Ho – also known as...
amateur baseball team. In August 1981, Choi competed for South Korea in the 1981 Intercontinental Cup
Intercontinental Cup (baseball)
The Intercontinental Cup is a baseball tournament between the members of the International Baseball Federation . It was first held in 1973 in Italy, and was held every other year following until 1999....
where he posted a 2-0 record and an ERA of 1.32. Choi took a perfect game
Perfect game
A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
with 11 strikeouts into the bottom of the ninth inning against Canada
Canada national baseball team
Canada has qualified for two Olympic games, in 2004 and 2008. Canadian teams also competed twice when baseball was a demonstration sport, in 1984 and 1988.-1984 Summer Olympics:...
in round-robin phase before giving up a single
Single (baseball)
In baseball, a single is the most common type of base hit, accomplished through the act of a batter safely reaching first base by hitting a fair ball and getting to first base before a fielder puts him out...
. However, he was eventually named the tourney's Best Pitcher.
Toronto Blue Jays
After the impressive performances at the 1981 Intercontinental Cup in Canada, the Toronto Blue JaysToronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
showed a strong interest in Choi, regarding him as having the potential to play in the big league immediately.
The Blue Jays' scouts went to see Choi six times before signing him to a major league contract reportedly worth around $250,000, an unprecedented bonus at the time. Meanwhile, South Korea was in the process of forming its own professional baseball league. When the government discovered Choi was heading to Toronto, it threatened to jail the scouts if they tried to leave the country with the contract.
The Blue Jays planned on bringing Choi to Blue Jays' spring training for the 1983 season, but the government intervened again.
Choi was given a choice: Serve a mandatory military commitment before going to Canada, or pitch in the Korean professional league and have his military service waived. Choi eventually opted for the latter, declaring for the KBO
Korea Baseball Organization
The Korea Baseball Organization is the governing body for the professional leagues of baseball in South Korea. KBO should not be confused with the Korea Professional Baseball League. KBO was founded in 1981 and has been governing two leagues, Korea Professional Baseball and Futures League since...
Draft after the 1982 Amateur World Series
1982 Amateur World Series
The 1982 Amateur World Series was held in South Korea from September 4 to September 14.-Standings:-Awards:The IBAF announced the following awards at the completion of the tournament.-References:*...
.
Lotte Giants
Choi was selected by the Lotte GiantsLotte Giants
The Lotte Giants are a professional baseball team based in Busan, Korea, and one of the original franchises of the Korea Baseball Organization league. The Lotte Giants are owned by the Japanese-South Korean Lotte conglomerate....
in the first round of the 1983 KBO Draft.
He had a respectable rookie season, posting a 9-16 record and an ERA of 2.40 with 148 strikeouts. Wearing uniform number 11, Choi hurled 9 complete games and one shutout, and was ranked fourth in ERA and strikeouts.
Choi established himself in 1984 with a breakout season for the Giants. He was 27-13, ranked first in wins, and fanned a league-leading 223 batters during the season. Choi also lowered his ERA to 1.92, second-lowest in the league behind OB Bears pitcher Jang Ho-Yeon (1.58), and posted the second-highest innings pitched
Innings pitched
In baseball, innings pitched are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two...
total in a season in KBO history with 284.2 (on the contrary, ERA champion Jang Ho-Yeon pitched only 102.1 innings in the season). In the 1984 Korean Series
Korean Series
The Korean Series is the championship series of the Korea Baseball Organization. It has been held since the KBO's first season in and is the final series of in the post-season play-offs. From , the winner of the Korean Series goes on to play in the Asia Series....
, the Giants beat the Samsung Lions
Samsung Lions
Samsung Lions Baseball Club is a Korea Professional Baseball team founded in 1982. They are based in Daegu and are members of the Korean Baseball Organization. Their home stadium is Daegu Baseball Stadium...
in seven games. Choi started for the Giants four times and threw four complete-games with a 3-1 record as a starter, with his final outing being Game 7. Choi accumulated one more win as a long reliever
Long reliever
A Long reliever is a type of relief pitcher in baseball.Long relievers traditionally enter early in a game when the starting pitcher cannot continue, whether due to ineffective pitching, lack of endurance, rain delays, injury, or ejection...
in Game 6, coming up on relief in the fifth inning and hurling five shutout innings with six strikeouts. As a clutch "iron arm" pitcher, Choi finished the Series with an astonishing 4-1 record and an ERA of 1.80 in 40 innings pitched in nine days. He still holds the most unbreakable records for most wins (4) and most innings pitched (40.0) in a single championship series.
Choi's 1986 season ended as one of the finest he had ever posted. He posted a 19-14 record and an ERA of 1.55 with 208 strikeouts in 267 innings pitched. Choi pitched a career-high 17 complete games and his 1.55 ERA was the lowest of his eight-season career. He led the league in innings pitched, and was runner-up in wins, ERA and strikeouts (208).
Samsung Lions
Prior to the 1989 season, Choi was traded with Kim Yong-Chul to the Samsung Lions for Jang Hyo-JoJang Hyo-Jo
Jang Hyo-Jo was a South Korean outfielder in the Korean professional baseball league who played for the Samsung Lions and Lotte Giants. Jang batted and threw left-handed. He was born in Daegu.Jang is widely regarded as one of the best KBO hitters for average of all time...
and Kim Si-Jin
Kim Si-Jin
Kim Si-Jin is a retired pitcher in the Korea Baseball Organization, and the current manager of the Heroes in the KBO.-Amateur career:...
. After the trade, his career quickly spiraled downward. His statistics did not improve while with the Lions. In just over two years with the Lions, he posted a 7-7 record with an ERA of 4.50.
Choi became the first member of the 1,000 strikeout club on May 20, 1990 when he fanned Lee Kwang-Eun of the LG Twins
LG Twins
LG Twins Baseball Club is a Korea Professional Baseball team based in Seoul, South Korea. The club was known as the MBC Blue Dragons owned by the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation until , when they were taken over by the LG Group...
in the fifth inning in Daegu
Daegu
Daegu , also known as Taegu, and officially the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea, the fourth largest after Seoul, Busan, and Incheon, and the third largest metropolitan area in the country with over 2.5 million residents. The city is the capital and principal city of the...
. However, after the 1990 season, Choi announced his retirement from baseball as a player.
Post playing career
Choi Retired in 1990 and then dabbled in politics, did some baseball broadcasting work and acted. After 2001 he returned to baseball as the minor league manager for the Hanwha Eagles (2007–2009) and supervisor for the KBO (2009–2011).Death and memorial
Choi died of colon cancerColorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer, commonly known as bowel cancer, is a cancer caused by uncontrolled cell growth , in the colon, rectum, or vermiform appendix. Colorectal cancer is clinically distinct from anal cancer, which affects the anus....
at a hospital in Goyang
Goyang
Goyang is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Goyang includes the new city of Ilsan, which is connected to Seoul via Seoul Subway Line 3. Goyang is bordered by Seoul to the south; walls of the Bukhan Mountain Fortress lie along a small portion of this border.Several institutions of higher...
, Gyeonggi-do
Gyeonggi-do
Gyeonggi-do is the most populous province in South Korea. The provincial capital is located at Suwon. Seoul—South Korea's largest city and national capital—is located in the heart of the province, but has been separately administered as a provincial-level special city since 1946...
on September 14, 2011, aged 53. Choi was survived by wife, son and brother.
The Lotte Giants
Lotte Giants
The Lotte Giants are a professional baseball team based in Busan, Korea, and one of the original franchises of the Korea Baseball Organization league. The Lotte Giants are owned by the Japanese-South Korean Lotte conglomerate....
retired Choi's squad number
Squad number
In team sports, the squad number, shirt number, jersey number, sweater number, uniform number or simply a number is the number worn on a player's uniform, to identify and distinguish each player from others wearing the same or similar uniforms...
11 on September 30, 2011. The number is the club's first-ever retired number since the club was founded in 1975. He will be portrayed by Cho Seung-woo in the upcoming film, Perfect Game
Perfect Game (2011 film)
Perfect Game is a South Korean upcoming film based on the true story about the rivals Sun Dong-Yeol of the Haitai Tigers and Choi Dong-Won of the Lotte Giants who were the two top pitchers in the Korea Baseball Organization league during the 1980's. It stars Yang Dong-geun as Sun and Cho...
about the two top pitchers him and his rival Sun Dong-Yeol
Sun Dong-Yeol
Sun Dong-Yeol is a retired pitcher in the Korea Professional Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball, and is New manager of Kia Tigers in the Korea Professional Baseball...
in the Korea Baseball Organization
Korea Baseball Organization
The Korea Baseball Organization is the governing body for the professional leagues of baseball in South Korea. KBO should not be confused with the Korea Professional Baseball League. KBO was founded in 1981 and has been governing two leagues, Korea Professional Baseball and Futures League since...
league during the 1980's.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Korea Baseball Organization (Official website)