NC Dinos coach Lee Ho-jun supported SSG Landers' Choi Jeong in achieving his 500th home run.

Coach Lee said in an interview before the game against SSG Landers at Incheon SSG Landers Field on the 13th, "I will face (Choi) Jeong head-on. I hope he hits it quickly."

NC has composed a starting lineup featuring Kwon Hee-dong (left fielder), Kim Ju-won (shortstop), Park Min-woo (second baseman), Son Ah-seop (right fielder), Park Gun-woo (designated hitter), Jeon Jae-hwan (center fielder), Kim Hyung-jun (catcher), Seo Ho-cheol (first baseman), Kim Hwi-jip (third baseman). The starting pitcher is Riley Thompson.

SSG will have Choi Ji-hoon (center fielder), Park Sung-han (shortstop), Choi Jeong (designated hitter), Han Yoo-seom (right fielder), Ryan McBroom (first baseman), Choi Jun-woo (left fielder), Jo Hyung-woo (catcher), Jeong Jun-jae (second baseman), An Sang-hyun (third baseman) as the starting lineup. The starting pitcher is Moon Seung-won. Choi Jeong, who is currently recording 499 home runs, will attempt to become the first player in KBO league history to achieve 500 home runs on this day.

"I also couldn't hit for a while with my numbers not anywhere near, but I didn't hit a home run for about 10 games after 299 home runs," Coach Lee recalled his experience of challenging the home run record. He noted, "Jeong is different from me in personality, so he might not think about that." He added, "The bouquet for the 300th home run was bothering me so much. Since I wasn't hitting home runs, I was discarding flowers every day and buying new ones. The cost of flowers was also a concern, and I thought I needed to hit quickly. At that time, Coach Kim Kyung-moon was around, and he even told the batting practice pitcher to give me the ball right in the center as a special request, so he was very attentive toward me."

Coach Lee said, "I was really struggling because of that one home run. Ultimately, I hit it against Jeong Seong-gon in the KT game. I thought it was a fastball, but later when I saw the highlight, it turned out to be a forkball. I wondered if I was losing my balance like this. But the next day, I hit another home run right away."

"To be honest, I would prefer that he hit it against another team rather than in our three-game series," Coach Lee said. "That said, I won't avoid the competition. Still, if possible, I hope he hits it when we are leading significantly and not in a crucial moment," he added with a smile.

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