“I hope he doesn’t do the ceremony…”

Kim Won-jung, captain of the Lotte Giants baseball team, shared his thoughts on the ceremonies performed by setup man Jeong Cheol-won, who takes the mound in front of him.

Jeong Cheol-won has been known to elicit cheers from fans by performing ceremonies and roaring whenever he overcomes an inning in a crisis. Now, it feels disappointing not to see the ceremony. However, captain Kim Won-jung has expressed a negative opinion about Jeong Cheol-won's ceremony. That said, it cannot be stopped. It is Jeong Cheol-won's symbol and an expression of confidence. And this ceremony ultimately led to a positive consolidation.

On the 30th, the Lotte Giants achieved a hard-fought victory of 6-5 against SSG Landers at Sajik Stadium in Busan, escaping a three-game losing streak. Lotte has not experienced four consecutive losses this season.

During the intense match, cracks appeared in the stable flow of the game. Entering the 6th inning with a 4-3 lead, Choi Jun-yong took the mound, catching three batters with two strikeouts and turning the momentum around.

However, in the 7th, he allowed a left-field single to lead-off batter Jeong Joon-jae, and disposed of Choi Ji-hoon with a ground ball for one out, creating a man on second base. Then, facing Ahn Sang-hyun, he was in a favorable count of one ball and two strikes but gave up a left-field single, amplifying the crisis to one out with runners on first and third.

Lotte replaced the pitcher with left-hander Kim Jin-wook. However, Kim Jin-wook allowed a timely double to pinch hitter Han Yoo-seom, giving up the tying run at 4-4. In the ongoing crisis with one out and runners on second and third, Jeong Cheol-won came in at a crucial moment.

However, Jeong Cheol-won maintained the contest easily. He handled the first batter, Ko Myung-jun, with a sacrifice fly to center field, conceding only a run. He later allowed a hit by Park Seong-han, but minimized the damage by retiring Cho Hyung-woo with a fly ball to right field.

Then, in the bottom of the seventh inning, the batting lineup flipped the game again. With the score at 6-5, he took the mound again in the eighth. However, he allowed consecutive hits to Oh Tae-gon and Choi Jun-woo, creating a no-out situation with runners on first and second, leading to a critical crisis. Nevertheless, he did not easily allow Jeong Joon-jae to lay down a bunt, and after getting to two strikes, induced a double play from the second baseman, relieving the pressure.

He sent Choi Ji-hoon to first base with a walk, facing Ahn Sang-hyun with two outs and runners on first and third. Against Ahn Sang-hyun, Jeong Cheol-won went in confidently, striking him out swinging to overcome the crisis. And he roared again. It was a situation where he couldn't help but perform the roar and ceremony. Ultimately, in the ninth, closer Kim Won-jung took the mound and secured a one-point victory once more.

After the game, Jeong Cheol-won reflected, “I thought that if I passed the crisis in the eighth inning, Won-jung hyung would definitely hold it down and the team would win. I had confidence that I could win against the batters, and I was sure that if we got through the eighth inning, the team could win. I think that confidence and certainty helped produce a good result in the eighth.”

He continued, “Even though it's said that the bullpen gets a lot of game appearances, they are doing well managing their conditions in the training department. Jun-yong is back to help us, and the bullpen is working hard in their respective roles as one. If we can maintain this atmosphere, I believe we can become a stronger team and achieve good results.”

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