The lucky man who caught Choi Jeong's 500th home run ball is not here for a financial gain. of course a donation

May 13, 2025

The lucky man who caught Choi Jeong's 500th home run ball is not here for a financial gain. of course a donation
Cho Sang-hyun, who took a picture with a home run ball. Photo =SSG Landers



A benefit worth about 17 million won. There are great benefits for fans who caught Choi Jeong's 500th home run ball.

SSG Landers Choi Jeong hit a tiebreaking two-run home run against NC starter Riley Thompson in the bottom of the sixth inning against the NC Dinos at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 13th. Choi Jung-eun, who grounded out to second base in the first at-bat and struck out standing in the second at-bat, faced a runner-up chance with Park Sung-han's hit after two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning when SSG was trailing 0-2.

Choi Jung-eun, who faced Riley again with two outs and a runner on first base, hit a 135-km slider in the sixth pitch at the full count and connected it with a tiebreaking two-run home run that coolly crossed the left fence. It was the first 500th home run in the KBO League.




On April 24 last year, Choi Jeong, who became the record holder with 468 home runs after surpassing Lee Seung-yeop (467 home runs) in the match against the Lotte Giants in Busan, reached the 500th home run mark that no one had reached.

Choi Jeong's home run ball was caught by the spectator in the left outfield seat wearing gloves. The spectator who caught the lucky 500th home run ball was 31-year-old Cho Sang-hyun (Hakik-dong, Incheon), a longtime fan of Choi Jeong. Soon after catching the home run ball, Cho Sang-hyun expressed his intention to donate the home run ball through the club.

The lucky man who caught Choi Jeong's 500th home run ball is not here for a financial gain. of course a donation
The game between SSG Landers and NC Dinos at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 13th. In the bottom of the 6th inning, SSG Choi Jung hit a two-run shot against NC starter Riley, achieving a total of 500 home runs in the KBO. 500 home run record board set in the outfield stands. Incheon = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.05.13/
The SSG club has already offered various gifts to spectators who have acquired their 500th home run ball. About 17 million won worth of gifts will be given through Shinsegae Group and club sponsors.




The SSG club will present two live zone season tickets for the 2026 season, a meeting with Choi Jung, one invitation to Skybox for the 2026 season, a bat signed by Choi Jung and a uniform commemorating 500 home runs, and a Shinsegae gift certificate worth 1 million won and an Emarticon (emart mobile gift certificate) worth 1.5 million won at E-Mart.

In addition, 1 million won worth of Starbucks vouchers, 1.5 million won worth of mobile gift certificates, and 1 million won worth of DynaFit will be given together.

The lucky man who caught Choi Jeong's 500th home run ball is not here for a financial gain. of course a donation
The match between SSG Landers and the NC Dinos at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 13th. SSG Choi Jeong cheers after hitting a two-run shot against NC starter Riley in the bottom of the sixth inning with two outs and runners on first base. Incheon = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.05.13/
Cho Sang-hyun, who caught Choi Jeong's home run ball, said in an interview after learning "It's like a dream. Many people congratulated me on my way down to the interview room. I thought I was the luckiest person to visit the ballpark tonight. I'm really happy."




Next is Jo Sang-hyun's question and answer.

-Did you think you were going to catch a home run ball?

He also came during a doubleheader against KIA on Sunday (11th). Choi Jung 500 home runs did not come out, so he booked all three consecutive games against NC. Choi Jung reserved a left seat because he is a right-handed hitter. He is such a strong player that I thought he would go all the way to the green zone if he had a big hit. I booked a home run zone for the left fence couple because I wanted to see the home run fly the closest.

-What did you think when the home run came out?

I am active in a baseball team that is a member of society. So I also brought my gloves. At first, when the ball flew in, I thought it wasn't mine because it was far from where I sat. But the ball bounced up after hitting the billboard. As if the ball and my eyes met, I flew in while drawing a parabolic line. It's easy to hold, and I just need to bring my glove, but I was so nervous and nervous. I felt a momentary stiffness in my body. I have to relax, but my body is stiff. At that time, when the tension was full, everyone around me just said congratulations, so I thought 'You caught it'.

The lucky man who caught Choi Jeong's 500th home run ball is not here for a financial gain. of course a donation
사진=SSG 랜더스
-Did you think you should donate the ball when you received it?

I didn't come to the ballpark to make a financial gain. I really came with a fan's heart. Of course, I thought I should donate Choi Jung's 500 home run ball. Since it was the first record in the KBO, it was more meaningful, so of course, I tried to donate it.

-What's your favorite gift from the club?

Thank you so much for preparing so many gifts. However, the best thing is that I can see Choi Jung up close and that I caught a home run ball that can be commemorated by Choi Jung.

-Since when have you been an SSG fan?

When I was young, I went to Munhak Elementary School for a while. It was already 22 years ago. In the past, free admission was available after the 8th episode. I played around with my friends and came into the stadium to watch baseball for a while. Then, I wanted to play baseball myself since middle school, and I gathered my friends and formed a club. In the meantime, he naturally became a fan of SSG, which is based in Incheon.

-One last word?

I want to congratulate Choi Jung. I caught 500 home runs, but I hope Choi Jung hits 600 home runs and 700 home runs in the future. I hope other fans enjoy this happiness and thrill that I felt at that time.



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.