“I never thought I would have this many hits…”
“I didn’t think I could get this many hits.”
NC Dinos slugger Son As-seop (36) is the KBO’s all-time leader in career hits. With the bases loaded and no outs in the top of the sixth inning against the Doosan Bears in Jamsil on Feb. 20, Son smashed a forked ball from Doosan’s Raul Alcantara to left field. With 2505 hits in his career, he became the KBO’s all-time leader in hits by one over KBSN sports commentator Park Yong-taek, who had 2504 hits.
Son As-seop’s Hits
First hit – April 7, 2007 against Suwon Hyundai (Lotte Giants)
1000 hits – October 2, 2015 against Mokdong Nexen (Lotte)
1500 hits – July 11, 2018, Pohang Samsung Electronics (as Lotte)
2000 hits – July 10, 2021, Daegu Samsung Electronics (as Lotte)
- 2,000 hits notable: youngest player (33 years, 3 months, 22 days), fewest games played (2044)
- Achieved 17 years, 2 months, 13 days, 6,284 days after his first hit
Son was drafted by the Lotte Giants with the 29th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2007 KBO Draft out of Busan High School, where he will remain until 2021. After his first hit in his debut, he didn’t add a single hit in the 2007 season. However, he broke into the first team with 66 hits in 2008 and 16 hits in 2009.
“I remember my first hit the most,” Son said after the game. My first hit was a reverse double, and that’s how I got off to a good start, so I’ve been able to come up steadily ever since.” He started with 129 hits in 2010, followed by 144 hits in 2011, 158 hits in 2012, 172 hits in 2013, 175 hits in 2014, 141 hits in 2015, 186 hits in 2016, 193 hits in 2017, 182 hits in 2018, 151 hits in 2019, 190 hits in 2020, and 173 hits in 2021.
In the 2021-2022 free agency, he signed a four-year, $6.4 million contract with NC. He hit 152 home runs in 2022, 187 in 2023, and 88 this season. It was his 14th consecutive year with 100 or more hits and his eighth season with 170 or more.
“Honestly, I didn’t think it was possible. I didn’t think I could hit this many hits. I think I was just living my life day by day, a little bit fiercely, and now that I’ve accumulated a little bit of time, I think I’m able to put my name on the list, so I think that was a little bit of a driving force.”
He’s stressed and sensitive. Baseball didn’t work out for him at the beginning of this season either. “I have a sensitive personality,” says Son. I think those 카지노 things might be the driving force behind my consistency so far, so I don’t want to change them, but I just want to keep doing what I’m doing now without losing my focus.”
He’s not looking at his first 3,000 hits. “It’s still too far away,” said Son. I think I was able to hit like this because I didn’t think about 250 hits. If you become conscious of something, you lose your balance at the plate and your greed becomes counterproductive, so I think that if you play hard without injury and with the same mindset as now, rather than setting a specific number, you might be able to reach the numbers that so many people want. For now, I just want to put everything into one game, one game,” he said.
The club organized many events to celebrate Son’s achievement as the KBO’s all-time leader in hits. Manager Lim Sun-nam presented him with a plaque of appreciation, and manager Kang In-hwon presented him with a flower necklace. Commentators Park Yong-taek, Park Gun-woo, and Doosan’s Yang Seok-hwan also congratulated him. After the game, Doosan coach Lee Seung-yeop, Raul Alcantara, and defense coach Cho Sung-hwan also applauded.
The trophy is meaningful. “The trophy is a tray-shaped trophy with a diameter of 35 centimeters and a three-dimensional representation of the club’s record-breaking emblem. The baseball bat and rifle are combined and crossed in an X shape to represent the best batsman in Korea. The knob of the bat shows the symbol of Son’s bat, taping, and the king. At the top of the emblem is the bull’s-eye mark, which has become a popular symbol on the inside of batting helmets. It symbolizes Son’s persistence, hard work, and strength to become the best hitter he can be.”
The club added, “The + after 2505 means that it is a number that will continue to be updated by the player after he achieves the record. ‘LEADER’ is not only the record holder for the most hits, but it also symbolizes Son’s leadership as a senior player and captain of the team.”