"I got emotional as I climbed the mound. I remembered my parents who would have watched the game, Jeon Mir in the training camp."
Lotte Giants right-handed fireballer Choi Jun-yong returned to the first division stage by throwing fastballs with a maximum speed of 153 km/h. He shook off the injuries and pains that plagued him, and made a great comeback in front of his home fans in Busan.
Choi Jun-yong recorded one strikeout and no run in one inning in Game 5 and Game 2 of the doubleheader against the Samsung Lions in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 17th.
Choi took the mound in the top of the sixth inning with Lotte leading 7-6. It was the first time in 349 days that Choi took the mound in the first division since the game against the Sajik NC Dinos on June 2 last year.
Choi threw three fastballs against the first batter, Kim Jae-sung, and pushed ahead with his power. He pitched a fastball of 153 km/h on the third pitch of "no ball to strike," inducing Kim to swing and miss. However, catcher Cho In-geun's foil caused Kim to get on base, facing a crisis of no outs and no outs.
Choi even made an error to check the first base in the match against the follow-up hitter Lee Jae-hyun, which looked like the situation would worsen. However, Lotte fielders showed off their concentration at the moment. Right fielder Kim Dong-hyuk quickly backed up, caught the ball and caught Shim Jae-hoon, who was trying to advance to third base, with a perfect throw, and the runner disappeared on the floor.
Choi quickly stabilized. He grounded out Lee Jae-hyun to left field and Koo Ja-wook to second to end the inning. When Choi returned to the dugout of the home team near the first base, Lotte home fans shouted "Choi Jun-yong's name" and cheered for him.
After a fierce battle, Lotte defeated Samsung 8-7 to secure victory in both the first and second legs of the doubleheader. With Choi Jun-yong's successful return, the team enjoyed a pleasant Saturday night.
"I imagined a lot about going up to the mound while rehabilitating," Choi said in an interview with on-site reporters after the second game of the doubleheader. "I was so happy that my imagination came true today," Choi said. "When the fans shouted my name after finishing the first half of the sixth inning, I got emotional. I was so happy to feel this heat again."
"Even Ko Seung-min, Yoo Kang-nam, and Jeon Jun-woo encouraged me, but I felt rewarded for my hard work," he said. "I think my parents must have suffered more than me during the rehabilitation period. I've shown you playing baseball for the first time in almost a year, and I'll try to be more filial in the ballpark in the future," he said.
Choi Jun-yong was out for the season after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder shoulder in August last year. It was expected to take four months to recover after the surgery, and Choi Jun-yong also performed rehabilitation smoothly.
Choi also participated in Lotte's Taiwan spring camp for the first team in January and started preparing for the 2025 season. However, he couldn't join the opening of the pennant race as he was diagnosed with fine damage to his elbow ligament in mid-February.
Choi once again started fighting against himself in the second division. Fortunately, he quickly regained his normal condition and physical condition with the support of the coaching staff and training parts, and even returned to the first division on the day. 토토사이트
"Today's game was a mixed game, but I'm so happy that I stopped one inning. Manager (Kim Tae-hyung) said 'Nice pitching!' after the game, and these words really helped me a lot," Choi said with a smile. "I was told 'Nice pitching' by the manager once last year. I think I should prepare well so that I can hear it more often this year."
Choi also mentioned Jeon Mir, a junior at the military training center, to receive basic military training. Jeon Mir has been admitted to the military training center from July 12 after being accepted into the military athletic unit.
Choi Jun-yong added, "Jeon Mir said he really wanted to see my return match, but he is at the training center now. I usually have few tears, but when I warmed up in the bullpen today, there was something (heart) boiling. I wanted to show a good result when Jeon Mir came out of the training center, but fortunately, I feel good that it happened."