Lotte Giants considering retiring late pitcher Choi's number

SEOUL, Sept. 15 (Yonhap) - The Lotte Giants, the South Korean professional baseball club of the late former pitcher Choi Dong-won, may retire his number to commemorate his accomplishments, a senior team official said Thursday. Chang Byung-soo, the Giants' president, said the team was "positively considering" retiring Choi's No. 11, which he wore during his six-year career with the Busan-based Giants in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). Once a number is retired by a team, then no other player may wear that numeral on the back of their uniform. "We will do our best to show our proper respect to his accomplishments," Chang said. Choi passed away Wednesday at age 53 after losing his battle with colorectal cancer. The right-handed fireballer played six of his eight KBO seasons with the Giants in the 1980s. He was voted the most valuable player (MVP) in 1984 and helped the Giants win the Korean Series Baseball Championship that year. In the best-of-seven series, Choi earned all four victories for his team, appearing in five games and throwing three complete games. Choi also holds the all-time single season record with 223 strikeouts. Lotte has yet to retire any number. Currently, pitcher Lee Jung-min is wearing No. 11 for the team. Nine players for five other franchises have had their numbers retired so far in the KBO, which was founded in 1982. Chang said Sept. 30 will be designated the "Choi Dong-won Day" and commemorative events are being planned. The official also said Choi may be named an honorary manager of the Giants. "Choi was the franchise star and a heroic figure for the Lotte Giants," Chang said. "I can still vividly recall the way he pitched with an indomitable will." Also Thursday, Koo Bon-neung, commissioner of the KBO, said the league will try to determine the location for the nation's first baseball hall of fame this year and pay proper tribute to baseball icons. In April this year, the league said it would try to open the hall somewhere in the nation's capital, but the project has stalled with the KBO unable to find real estate. Choi is the second former baseball star to pass away this month. On Sept. 7, Jang Hyo-jo, the KBO's all-time leader with a career batting average of .331, died of liver cancer. South Korea does have a baseball museum, but it is located on the southern resort island of Jeju, which doesn't have a pro baseball franchise. The KBO wants a new hall on the mainland for better access.