By Arthur Weinstein, Sporting News

Rangers designated hitter Shin-Soo Choo picked a dramatic time to make history.

Choo hit a walk-off home run off Kevin McCarthy in the 10th inning Saturday to give Texas a 4-3 victory over the Royals.

Beyond being the game-winning blow, however, it was Choo's 176th career home run, making him the all-time leader in home runs among Asian-born players. 

Japanese-born star Hideki Matsui (175 career home runs) and Ichiro Suzuki (117 homers) are second and third on the list, followed by Kenji Johjima (48), Kosuke Fukudome (42) and Hee-Seop Choi (40).

Choo had tied the record Friday night, and expressed surprise when a security guard brought him the ball, because he didn't realize he'd tied a record. Now, he and the Rangers are hoping the ball he hit for the record Saturday will surface. Someone in the Royals bullpen got the ball and tossed it to a fan in the bleachers. The Rangers tweeted out details of the search.

The 35-year-old Choo, a native of Pusan, South Korea, is in his 14th MLB season. He downplayed his brush with history Friday, saying it only meant he'd been around a long time.

"I am not a home run hitter. I've just played in this league a long time. That's not my focus," Choo said (via Star-Telegram.com). "[Matsui] only played ten years in the big leagues. If he had played longer, he would have more home runs than me. Somebody was going to break the record."

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