Desperate to think about whether to take the mound again or not, it is worth 10 hold trials in two years when he won 10 games in just three years
Jul 24, 2025
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Choi Jun-yong (24, Lotte Giants) is a 'special prospect' who was nominated as the first rookie draft nomination in 2020. Having played as the best ace since high school, he stood out by recording eight holds in 31 games from his first year as a member of the club.
Lotte's must-win group has been reborn as a must-win group, with 20 holds in 2021, 14 saves in 2022, and 14 saves in 2023.
The ordeal is upon us. I held it in and threw it, but it hurt in several places, including my elbow and shoulder. Every time I threw the ball, the pressure weighed down. "I want to play baseball without getting sick."After the 2023 season, he even thought about 'turn to a batter'.
He got a funkgo and did batting training, but the value of 'pitcher Choi Jun-yong' could not be compared to 'batter Choi Jun-yong'.
He eventually returned as a pitcher after showing a healthy appearance, throwing more than 150km of balls at the Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) held at the end of 2023. Playing in 27 games in 2024, he ended up on the operating table.
Choi Jun-yong came back from shoulder rehabilitation. The ordeal was not the end. I had an elbow injury while playing spring camp. But the mind was different than before. There was no shaking. He played rehabilitation with a firm heart, and wrote his first hold with a first-team call-up on May 17, and he helped Lotte's rise by recording one save and eight holds in 14 games in June.
After running without hesitation until the 9th hold, he played frequently, including three consecutive games that included two multi-innings in the last half of the first half. In the end, he was tired after the 9th hold and suffered from 'nine count', but he filled the 10th hold with one hit and one strikeout in the 8th inning with a 4-1 lead over Kiwoom on the 23rd. 10 hold high ground for the first time in two years since 2023. Lotte won 4-1 to stay in third place after losing two consecutive games, and starting pitcher Park Se-woong won 10 games in three years. It was a continuation of 'overlapping'.
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He was so desperate that he even thought about changing from a top pitcher to a batter. It is even more meaningful as it is a 10-hold achieved after many twists and turns. Choi Jun-yong said, `I feel good because I'm playing the pitcher I can do the best when the team is doing well. I had concerns about whether I could stand on the mound again after shoulder surgery. I'm grateful to be able to throw the ball on the mound like this every day. "I want to make it meaningful because we kept 10 tight games when our team won. I don't think about hold. I want to be helpful when the team goes to fall baseball, he said.
In the first half of the year, Lotte had a tight must-win operation, but the bullpen has become thicker with Hong Min-ki's recent addition. Hong Min-ki is also the motivation for Choi Jun-yong, who was nominated in the second round of the 2020 Rookie Draft (4th overall). Choi Jun-yong said, "(Hong) Min-ki is in the first team, so I'm so happy. It feels good to be able to go out together in important situations." I hope my friends will play baseball better. The ball is good like Min Gi, but there are many players who can't go to the game yet. There is also a friend named Park Jae-min (Park Rogan after his change of name), and Bae Se-jong. I have so many good friends that I want to join the first team and play baseball together."
It would have been difficult to play often, but Choi Jun-yong said, `It feels good to ask you to play,' adding, `"If the results were bad before the surgery, I found a problem with myself." Now I don't doubt my ball and think about 'It must be just that day, let's do well again tomorrow' and move on. Our team's power analysts were really good, so I think there will be good results if I trust them and throw them."
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
