“On my father’s team…” Choi Dong-won, son of a Lotte hero, returns to his hometown.
The 1984 Korean Series is remembered for Choi Dong-won’s four wins. At the time, who would have guessed that the Lotte Giants would only win one championship in the next 39 years.
While Choi Dong-won is now immortalized as the Lotte hero, the MVP of the series was the late Yoo Du-yeol, who hit a game-winning three-pointer in Game 7.
Yoo’s son has returned to his hometown. Yoo Jae-shin is the Lotte first baseman and outfield defense coach.
His father, Yoo Du-yeol, was a one-hit wonder and franchise star for Lotte until 1991. After retiring, Yoo worked as a high school coach for Lotte and Hanwha before passing away in 2016 after a battle with cancer.
Yoo Jae-shin was also a “Busan man” and Lotte fan who resigned and resigned. However, he didn’t get a chance to connect with Busan in the pros. As a player, he played for the Hyundai Unicorns, Kiwoom (Woori, Nexen) Heroes, and KIA Tigers, and was a coach at Doosan for three years from 2021.
Then, he was approached by Lotte’s new head coach Kim Tae-hyung and finally returned to his hometown. He joined Lotte’s finishing camp in Sangdong, Gimhae, on the 30th of last month.
Coach Yoo said, “The coach asked me to help, so I gladly agreed. People say she’s scary, but she’s always been good to me. It was a team I wanted to go to whenever they called me,” he laughed. It was his homecoming after nearly 20 years since he transferred from Busan High School to Bukil High School in high school. His mother and wife were also pleased with his choice.
For Yoo, it’s a story he’s heard over and over since childhood. Yoo was just 2-for-20 in the Korean Series before the at-bat in question, but with a miraculous comeback shot, he led his team to the Korean Series title. It was a moment that sealed the fate of Choi Dong-won and Kim Il-young, the aces of both teams at the time.
“It’s my dad’s team, and it’s my hometown. I’ve always watched the team since I was a kid, so it’s a different feeling.”
Since his playing days, Choi has been known for his solid defense and agile baserunning. In particular, he is known for his home run in the second inning of the 2013 Heroes game while LG pitcher Bong Joong-geun was covering second base. He also played in the 2014 Korean Series, becoming the first father and son in KBO history to play in the Korean Series. 아톰카지노
“The players are very motivated because they have a new manager and coaches. They are trying hard to learn more, and the atmosphere is impressive.”
Kim is the youngest member of Lotte’s first-team coaching staff, which consists of Kim Min-jae as manager, Kim Kwang-soo as bench coach, Kim Joo-chan as batting coach, Joo Hyung-kwang as pitching coach, and Kim Min-ho as defense coach. This fits in well with Lotte’s emphasis on “no-fear baserunning.
“I think outfield defense is more important than fine play. There are players who stand out in the outfield, and I want to pass on the experience I had as a player and my outfield know-how.”