Professional baseball player Jeong Jun-jae (22) of the SSG Landers succeeded in 25 consecutive stolen bases, moving closer to the best record in KBO history.

On the 10th, Jeong Jun-jae replaced in the game against the LG Twins during the '2025 Shinhancard SOL Bank KBO League' held at Seoul's Jamsil Stadium, recording 1 at-bat, 0 hits, 1 run, and 1 stolen base.

Leading 5-2 in the top of the eighth inning with no outs and a runner on first, Jeong Jun-jae replaced as a pinch runner for Kim Chan-hyung. He successfully attempted to steal second base on the fourth pitch from the following batter Choi Ji-hoon. This marked his 16th stolen base of the season. After reaching scoring position through the stolen base, Jeong advanced to third on a wild pitch and then scored on Kim Seong-wook's RBI single. SSG won 6-2, continuing their winning streak to two games.

Jeong Jun-jae, who joined SSG as a fifth-round selection (50th overall) in the 2024 rookie draft, played remarkably last year with a batting average of .370 over 88 games (215 at-bats, 66 hits), 1 home run, 23 RBIs, 40 runs, and 16 stolen bases, achieving an OPS of .776. This season, he has also garnered significant attention, receiving opportunities and currently recording a batting average of .280 over 61 games (183 at-bats, 38 hits), 12 RBIs, 26 runs, and 16 stolen bases with an OPS of .546.

This year's performance by Jeong Jun-jae is somewhat disappointing compared to his debut season. However, his speed and stolen base sense have shown significant improvement. Last season, he succeeded in 16 stolen bases with 5 failures, which gives a successful stealing rate of 76.2%, but this year he has achieved 16 stolen bases without failures, boasting a 100% success rate.

Starting from the game against Doosan on Aug. 11 last year, Jeong Jun-jae has succeeded in 25 consecutive stolen bases, surpassing the club's all-time record and setting a new record. He is now challenging the record of 29 consecutive successful steals set by KT’s Lee Jong-beom, nicknamed 'Son of the Wind,' from May 18, 1997, against SSANGBANGWOOL to June 27, 1997, against LG. If he succeeds in just 4 more steals, he will be on par with the legendary player's record.

Before the game on that day, Jeong Jun-jae mentioned in an interview, "Honestly, it’s not a record I was originally conscious of. I found out about the club record when I succeeded in my 23rd consecutive steal. Since then, I've been thinking about it a bit more."

This year, there is a player who has surpassed coach Lee Jong-beom before Jeong Jun-jae. Kiwoom's leading hitter Song Seong-mun is that player. Song achieved 30 consecutive stolen bases from Aug. 13, 2023, against LG to the KIA game on the 28th of last month, setting a new KBO record. He remarked, "In 2023, I only stole once, which is embarrassing. Coach Lee set the record in a month, and Jeong Jun-jae is quickly catching up. I believe it's a record that can be broken at any time."

Jeong Jun-jae stated, "Of course, I want to surpass Song Seong-mun’s record. That’s also my goal. There are 6 left, so I’m going to try to jump over it. However, if I think too much about the record, my body might not move in that brief moment. If I just keep running without overthinking, the stolen bases will pile up quickly. I've also gained confidence in timing my steals."

SSG's manager Lee Soong-yong is mostly giving the players the green light sign. He encourages players to make autonomous decisions and to run proactively, rather than discouraging them. Jeong Jun-jae explained, "There are definitely upgraded aspects in my stealing compared to last year. While it varies by pitcher, I have a sense of timing that feels instinctive. There are not many signs from the coaches, and I often run according to my own feeling."

However, for Jeong Jun-jae to achieve more stolen bases, he must first reach base, as stealing first base is not possible. Jeong reflected, "I think I've become overly cautious at the plate without realizing it. Last year, I was focused on hitting the ball, but this year, for some reason, I unconsciously became more careful at the plate. There were moments when the pitches I should hit weren't where they needed to be. Each of those accumulations is producing adverse results. It's my job to resolve those issues one by one as I commit to turning the remaining season around."

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