The first-team mound after 348 days of emotional thinking about my parents → 153km perfectly reported to be revived! Choi Junyong's sincere heart.

May 18, 2025

The first-team mound after 348 days of emotional thinking about my parents → 153km perfectly reported to be revived! Choi Junyong's sincere heart.
Choi Jun-yong for the interview. Reporter Kim Young-rok



The first-team mound after 348 days of emotional thinking about my parents → 153km perfectly reported to be revived! Choi Junyong's sincere heart.
photo courtesy of Lotte Giants
The first-team mound after 348 days of emotional thinking about my parents → 153km perfectly reported to be revived! Choi Junyong's sincere heart.
photo courtesy of Lotte Giants
"I got emotional thinking about my parents" First-team mound in 348 days → '153km'Reported a perfect revival! Choi Junyong's sincere heart. "I've heard a lot that there are cases where you lose your fastball speed after shoulder surgery. I never doubted myself. However, it was very hard to watch the ground without me."

Lotte Giants Choi Joon-yong (24) perfectly reported a revival. With a maximum fastball of 153 kilometers, the thinking two stood out.

Choi Jun-yong took the mound in the top of the sixth inning of Game 2 of the doubleheader against the Samsung Lions at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 17th and kept one inning scoreless. It was the first mound in 348 days since June 2 last year.




Before the game, Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung said, `Choi Jun-yong wants to make his first appearance of the season in a comfortable situation if possible,' but in reality, he had no choice but to take the mound in the middle of a 7-6 match.

Still, Choi Jun-yong was able to laugh on this day. It is thanks to Lotte's 8-7 and 1-point victory and sweeping the first and second games of the doubleheader.

Choi Jun-yong also had his own personal hardships. He induced the first batter Kim Jae-sung to strike out, but he got on base when he was struck out. He then committed a check error against pinch runner Shim Jae-hoon.




However, Shim Jae-hoon committed excessive greed of running to third base, and Lotte right fielder Kim Dong-hyuk relieved the burden thanks to catching Shim Jae-hoon with a good throw. Since then, he has played his part by catching Lee Jae-hyun and Koo Ja-wook, a batter representing Samsung.

The first-team mound after 348 days of emotional thinking about my parents → 153km perfectly reported to be revived! Choi Junyong's sincere heart.
photo courtesy of Lotte Giants
Choi Jun-yong, who met after the game, did not show his usual relaxation or mischief. He "It's been so long. I only imagined taking the mound for the first team while rehabilitating for a year, but I'm so happy that it became a reality today."

It was a tight situation, but he did his job. Choi Jun-yong laughed "Aren't you used to it?" and looked back "I thought not to cause inconvenience, but it worked out well thanks to his help in defense."




22,699 Busan baseball fans who filled the scene toward Choi Jun-yong coming down the mound welcomed and congratulated his return, chanting his name.

"I was choked up when you shouted my name. I'm so happy to feel this heat again. (Old) Seung-min, (Yoo) Gangnam, (Kim) Sang-soo, (Former) Jun-woo, (Jung) Hoon, all congratulated me, so I felt rewarded for my efforts. Last year, I heard a compliment from (Kim Tae-hyung) director only once, and when I came down today, he said 'Nice Pitching'. It was a very encouraging word."

Before taking the mound, the time of rehabilitation passed like a beacon. He also talked a lot with Jeon Mir, who joined the Armed Forces Sports Unit while rehabilitating together. Choi Jun-yong said "I usually don't cry much, but I was playing bullpen pitching and it just boiled inside. I wanted to show Mir a good result," he stressed.

The first-team mound after 348 days of emotional thinking about my parents → 153km perfectly reported to be revived! Choi Junyong's sincere heart.
photo courtesy of Lotte Giants
The shoulder surgery, which has been devoted to rehabilitation since last year, is actually more serious for pitchers than the elbow surgery that was suffered just before the opening. Choi Jun-yong said, `Don't be disappointed even if your fastball speed drops, I've heard that a lot"Let's not just doubt myself, I rehabilitated with the belief that I could throw a better ball than before surgery. What if there's no restraint? I was worried about that, but I think I prepared it well," he said with a smile. Fortunately, Choi Jun-yong's fastball speed on the day reached a maximum of 153 kilometers.

When asked what he wanted to do most right now, he gave an unexpected answer. Choi Jun-yong `didn't bother to watch videos of me playing baseball during my rehabilitation. I couldn't see. Today, I want to watch today's game and the past videos as much as I want."

"I also had a hard time watching baseball on TV last year, but my parents probably suffered more." Isn't today the first time your parents watched your son play baseball in a year. In the future, I want to be a son who is more filial in the ballpark."



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.