Forty-two-year-old Shin-Soo Choo made history in the KBO on Wednesday. He became the oldest non-pitcher to get a hit and appear in a KBO game. This will be Choo’s final season of baseball.
Choo is in his fourth season with the SSG Landers of Incheon, South Korea. He is 42 years and 11 days old, yet he is still putting up solid numbers at the plate.
In Wednesday’s game against the KT Wiz, Choo hit second in the order, getting the start at Designated Hitter. Choo hit a double off Wiz starting pitcher William Cuevas in his first at-bat.
That gave him the honor of being the oldest player to get a hit in a KBO game. The previous record belonged to Felix Jose, who played for the Lotte Giants in 2007.
Choo also got a second hit later in the day, with a single in the sixth inning. The Landers lost the game 3-5.
Choo has a .283 average and .780 OPS after Wednesday’s two-hit game. He is putting up numbers in the KBO at 42, which is incredibly rare for someone his age.
This is not the only time Choo has been an ageless wonder. Choo played 16 seasons in the MLB and made his lone All-Star team with the Texas Rangers in his 14th season. Choo enjoyed a successful Major League career with the Mariners, Guardians, Reds, and Rangers, earning him a career .275/.377/.447/—824 slash line.
Choo and the Landers are 46-47 and currently 5th out of ten in the standings. The ageless-wonder Choo and company look to hold on to their playoff spot in the next 51 games of the regular season.
Photo Credit: Outfilder Shin-Soo Choo #17 of SSG Landers bats in the bottom of the third inning during the KBO League game. (Photo by Han Myung-Gu/Getty Images)
