Lotte Giants player Jeong Bo-geun (26) recorded his first on-base with an intentional walk since his debut.

On the 25th, Jeong Bo-geun started as the ninth catcher in a game against the SSG Landers held at Incheon SSG Landers Field during the 2025 Shinhan Bank SOL Bank KBO League, recording 1 hit, 1 run batted in, and 1 walk in 4 at-bats.

After flying out to left field in his first at-bat in the second inning, Jeong Bo-geun brought the team the lead with an RBI double in the fifth inning, where both teams were tied 1-1 with one out and runners on second base. In the seventh inning, he made an out on a ground ball, but in the ninth inning with 2 outs and a runner on second base, while Lotte was leading 2-1, he succeeded in reaching base via an automatic intentional walk. However, a pinch hitter struck out, and that did not lead to a run. Lotte won 3-2 after a tightly contested game that went into extra innings.

Jeong Bo-geun, who joined Lotte through the 2018 rookie draft's second round and ninth pick overall, is a catcher who has recorded a .211 batting average with 127 hits in 603 at-bats, 4 home runs, 43 RBIs, 40 runs, and 2 stolen bases in 353 KBO League games. Although he has participated in many games every year as a backup catcher, he has often been disappointing at the plate.

As a result, Jeong Bo-geun had never reached base on an intentional walk until this game. However, a situation arose in this game where he could go out via an intentional walk. In the ninth inning with 2 outs and a runner on second base, Jeong Bo-geun was at the plate, and the next batter was to be Han Tae-yang, who had entered as a pinch runner. Han Tae-yang, a third-year infielder, has only 9 career hits.

SSG decided to fill the empty first base and confront Han Tae-yang. Lotte also responded to SSG’s strategy by using pinch hitter Choi Hang in Han Tae-yang’s place, but Choi failed to capitalize on the 2 outs with runners on first and second base, leading to SSG's victory in this tactical confrontation.

Jeong Bo-geun, who walked for the first time with an intentional walk after his debut, said in a post-game interview, "Since it's my first time walking with an intentional walk since my professional debut, I just thought, 'What’s going on?' I felt a bit strange and just had a peculiar feeling," while laughing.

Lotte suffered consecutive defeats against LG in the opening series, scoring only 4 points while allowing a staggering 22 runs. Due to the significant losses in the opening series, it was essential to turn the mood around with a victory in this game. Jeong Bo-geun noted, "We have now achieved our first win of the season. The game was very tight, so all our players worked hard. However, maintaining concentration until the end seems to have been the key to our victory."

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