Late baseball pitcher Choi Dong-won honored as S. Korean 'Sports Hero'

Seoul, November 4 - Choi Dong-won, one of South Korea's most celebrated pitchers, was posthumously recognized as the nation's Sports Hero on Wednesday. The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) inducted Choi, who passed away in 2011 at the age of 53, into its Sports Hall of Fame. The KSOC has been annually selecting a Sports Hero since 2011 to honor the athletic accomplishments of South Korea's sports stars.

Choi is the first retired baseball player to receive this prestigious honor, joining the ranks of notable former athletes such as 1936 Olympic marathon gold medalist Sohn Kee-chung, ex-International Olympic Committee Vice President Kim Un-yong, figure skating champion Kim Yu-na, and football legend Cha Bum-kun. The KSOC chose Choi over two other candidates: 1992 Olympic men's marathon champion Hwang Young-cho and 1992 Olympic men's doubles badminton gold medalist Park Joo-bong.

The induction ceremony for Choi will take place in December. Choi spent eight seasons playing in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), with six of those years spent with the Lotte Giants, his hometown team from Busan. He was named the 1984 regular-season Most Valuable Player (MVP) after finishing the year with a 27-13 record, six saves, and 14 complete games in 51 appearances.

His six-season stint with the Giants included a memorable series where he won all four games in the Korean Series. Choi holds the distinction of being the only pitcher in KBO history to achieve four wins in a best-of-seven postseason series. Known as the "Iron Arm" for his exceptional endurance, Choi pitched over 200 innings in each of his first five seasons.

However, his body eventually succumbed to wear and tear, leading to his retirement after the 1990 season at the age of 32. In 248 career games, Choi compiled a 103-74 record, 26 saves, a 2.46 ERA, and 1,019 strikeouts over 1,414 2/3 innings. His career ERA ranks second-lowest among all KBO pitchers with at least 1,000 innings pitched.

Post-retirement, Choi pursued various roles in the KBO, including coach, television commentator, and game supervisor. The annual Choi Dong-won Award was established in 2014 to recognize the best pitcher in South Korean baseball each year.