Sang-duk Choi

Sang-duk Choi (최상덕)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 216 lb.

• School Hongik University
• High School Incheon High School

• Born March 31, 1971 in Incheon South Korea

BR register page

Biographical Information

Sang-duk Choi pitched in the KBO for 15 years.

Choi was drafted by the Pacific Dolphins in the first round of the 1994 KBO draft, and he was 13-9 with a 2.51 ERA in his first season. He ranked 6th in ERA (between Sang-Hoon Lee and Kye-hyun Cho) and 10th in wins (5 behind Cho and Lee). He struggled in 1995 as his ERA rose to 8.28 in 10 games, and he was traded to the Haitai Tigers for the rights to Jae-hong Park. Choi suffered from an elbow injury so he only pitched 4 games combined in the next two seasons, then he had a 8-2 record with a 4.25 ERA in 1998. He went 7-5 with a 5.33 ERA in 1999.

The Incheon native bounced back in 2000, and he went 12-9 with a 4.56 ERA. He led the league in hits and homers allowed, and he was 5th in strikeouts (tied with Dae-sung Koo and Jin-woong Kim) and 7th in wins (tied with Min-han Son and Sang-jin Kim). Choi extended his solid pitching in 2001, and he had a 12-10 record with a 4.32 ERA. He was 9th in wins (tied with Jun-ho Jeon) and 3rd in innings (tied with Jin-woo Song). Choi was 8-7 with a 4.47 ERA in 2002, and he improved to 11-5 with a 3.56 ERA in 2003. He tied for 6th in wins that season, even with Seung-ho Lee, Jin-woo Kim, Yong-woon Shin and Min-chul Chung.

However, the 2003 season was his last productive season. Choi allowed 22 runs in 14 2/3 innings in 2004, then his ERA was 6.02 in 2005. The Tigers traded him with Hae-yong Ma and Dong-wook Seo to the LG Twins for Moon-seok Jang, Kyu-sik Han and Sang-jeong Son. Choi went 2-5 with a 4.80 ERA in 2006, and he was released again. The SK Wyverns signed him, and he surrendered 12 runs in 8 1/3 innings in 2007. His ERA was 1.93 in 14 games in 2008, and SK released him. The Hanwha Eagles signed him, and Choi announced his retirement after having a 6.75 ERA in 8 games in 2009. He later became the bullpen coach of the Nexen Heroes from 2011 to 2012 and their pitching coach from 2013 to 2014. The Wyverns named him their pitching coach in 2017 and 2020, and he was their bullpen coach from 2018 to 2019. He coached Inchon High School from 2021 to 2023, and he became the pitching coach for the LG Twins in 2024.

Overall, Choi was 75-65 with a 4.55 ERA, struck out 727 and pitched 1,200 1/3 innings in 15 seasons in the KBO.

Sources

• Namu wiki bio