Won-ho Choi

Won-ho Choi (최원호)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 194 lb.

• School Dankook University
• High School Incheon High School

• Born March 13, 1973 in Incheon South Korea

BR register page

Biographical Information

Won-ho Choi played in the Korea Baseball Organization for 13 years.

Choi was drafted by the Hyundai Unicorns in the first round of the 1996 KBO draft, and he had a 3.45 ERA in 12 games in his first season. He went 4-5 with a 4.46 ERA in 1997, then he improved to 10-5 with a 3.04 ERA in 1998. Choi was 8th in ERA, between Min-tae Chung and Kang-chul Lee. He helped South Korea win the 1998 Asian Games. He slumped to 6-10 with a 6.62 ERA in 1999, then the Unicorns traded him to the LG Twins for Jae-hak Shim. Choi struggled again in 2000 as his ERA was 5.47 with a 2-6 record, and he nearly missed the entire 2001 season due to injuries.

The Incheon native came back in 2002, and he was 6-11 with a 4.41 ERA. He gave up a walk-off homer to Hae-yong Ma in the 2002 Korean Series Game 6, and the Samsung Lions eliminated the Twins with that loss. Choi was 4-3 with a 4.48 ERA in 2003, then he went 8-7 with a 4.75 ERA in 2004. He had a 13-6 record with a 4.07 ERA in 2005, and he ranked 5th in wins (between Won-hyung Kim and Seung-hyeon Shin). He then had a 4.29 ERA in 15 starts with a 3-5 record in 2006, then he was 7-7 with a 4.67 ERA in 2007. Choi struggled in 2008 as his ERA was 5.90 in 11 games, and he went 3-2 with a 5.63 ERA in 2009. Choi announced his retirement after the 2009 season.

The LG Twins named him their minor league pitching coach in 2011, and he became the manager of the minor league team of the Hanwha Eagles in 2020. He was the interim manager of their big club in the '20 season, then he returned to the minors from 2021 to 2023. He became their new manager on May 12, 2023 after Carlos Subero resigned, and he left the team on May 27, 2024. He was also the bullpen coach of South Korea in the 2019 Premier 12.

Overall, Choi was 67-73 with a 4.64 ERA, struck out 694 and pitched 1,201 1/3 in 14 seasons in the KBO.

Sources

• Namu Wiki