“Former Guardians, Rangers All-Star Shin-Soo Choo retires after time with KBO”

More than two decades after turning professional, Shin-Soo Choo is finally hanging up his boots for good.

Choo retired from professional baseball Monday night after his final appearance for the KBO's SSG Landers. In his career he played a total of 2,814 games between the MLB and KBO minor leagues.

As expected, Shoo received a standing ovation before his final shot in Incheon, South Korea. He bowed to the fans and then sat in second place.

The 42-year-old outfielder began his career back in 2001, meaning baseball has officially lost one of the longest-serving pros in the world.

Choo finished the year with a .281 batting average, five home runs, 37 RBI, five stolen bases and an OPS of .776. After traveling to Korea to join the Landers in 2021, Choo was a .263 hitter with an .812 OPS, averaged 20 home runs, 76 RBI and 19 stolen bases per 162 games.

Back in August, Choo became the oldest player in KBO history to steal a base.

Although Choo was born in Busan, South Korea, he did not play professionally in Korea until after his MLB career ended.

Once a top prospect in the Seattle Mariners' farm system, Choo made his big league debut in 2005 but was traded to the Cleveland Indians in 2006. Choo remained in Cleveland until 2012, batting .292 with an .853 OPS and 21.8 WAR.

After a brief one-year stay with the Cincinnati Reds, Choo moved to the Texas Rangers. Choo spent the final seven seasons of his MLB career in Arlington, batting .260 with an OPS of .792 and a WAR of 8.6.

Choo made his first and only All-Star appearance in 2018 and then left the states after the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign.

The 1,671 hits, 218 home runs, 783 RBI, 157 stolen bases and 34.6 WAR Choo recorded in his MLB career are all the most by a Korean-born player.

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