'Daddy Chae-i' Park Dong-won exploded with 3 hits, including a home run and 3 RBIs, leading the Nanum All-Stars to defeat the Dream All-Stars for the fourth consecutive year in the Korean professional baseball All-Star Game.
The Nanum All-Stars (KIA, LG, Hanwha, NC, Kiwoom), led by manager Lee Bum-ho, emerged victorious 8-6 against the Dream All-Stars (Samsung, Doosan, KT, SSG, Lotte) in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO All-Star Game held at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon on the 12th.
After hitting a two-run home run in the first inning, Nanum catcher Park Dong-won demonstrated remarkable skill with a single RBI hit in the second inning, finishing the game with 3 hits in 4 at-bats and becoming the key player in Nanum's victory.
With this victory, the Nanum All-Stars have now won for four consecutive years since 2022. In the Nanum-Dream All-Stars system that started in 2015, they have an advantage in head-to-head record with 5 wins and 4 losses.
The Dream All-Stars featured a lineup including Koo Ja-wook (left fielder), Víctor Reyes (right fielder), Choi Jeong (third baseman), Lewin Diaz (first baseman), Jeon Jun-woo (designated hitter), Ahn Hyun-min (center fielder), Ryu Ji-hyeok (second baseman), Kang Min-ho (catcher), and Jeon Min-jae (shortstop). The starting pitcher was Park Se-woong.
The Nanum All-Stars constructed their lineup with Moon Hyun-bin (designated hitter), Park Min-woo (second baseman), Park Geon-woo (right fielder), Song Seong-moon (third baseman), Chae Eun-seong (first baseman), Park Dong-won (catcher), Lee Joo-hyung (left fielder), Park Hae-min (center fielder), and Park Chan-ho (shortstop). The starting pitcher was Cody Ponce.
In the first inning, the Dream All-Stars took the first lead. With two outs, Choi Jeong walked after hitting Park Se-woong's second pitch at 154 km/h. A wild pitch by Park Se-woong led to two outs and a runner on second base, where Diaz hit an infield single. The throw from shortstop Park Chan-ho to first base was an error, allowing Choi Jeong on second base to cross home plate.
In response, Nanum retaliated immediately in the bottom of the first inning. With a hit from Moon Hyun-bin and a single from Park Min-woo, they created a two-out situation with runners on first and second base, when Chae Eun-seong's erratic hit became a double to left field, allowing Nanum to turn the game around to a 2-1 lead.
Then, holding the hand of his daughter Chae-i, Park Dong-won launched a home run. He pulled on Park Se-woong’s fifth pitch, which was a high fastball at 140 km/h, sending it over the left field fence, with a distance of 110 meters.
After taking the lead at 4-1, Nanum added 3 more runs in the bottom of the second inning. Following a double to left-center by Park Chan-ho against Woo Kyu-min, a pinch-hit RBI single from Lee Do-yoon added another run. In the continued situation with one out and runners on first and third, Song Seong-moon's RBI single to right-center and Park Dong-won's RBI single to left pushed the score to 7-1.
It seemed like the game would end with Nanum's one-sided lead, but the Dream All-Stars also mounted a strong comeback. In the top of the third inning, Jeon Min-jae's single to left field, Koo Ja-wook's RBI double to left, and singles from Reyes and Diaz narrowed the gap by 3 runs. In the top of the sixth inning, Oh Myung-jin's double over the right fielder's head and Ahn Hyun-min's double to the left of the left fielder contributed another run, continuing the chase.
In the top of the eighth inning, Ahn Hyun-min hit a solo home run to left center, narrowing the gap to 1 run. He targeted Park Sang-won’s sixth pitch, a high inside fastball at 150 km/h, sending it over the left center fence, with a distance of 125 meters, showcasing his power even in the All-Star Game.
However, in the bottom of the eighth inning, Nanum’s pinch hitter Kim Tae-gun hit a solo home run to left field off Park Young-hyun, breaking away from the pursuit. He slammed a fastball at 148 km/h down the middle on the fifth pitch over the left field fence, registering a distance of 120 meters for a decisive solo home run. Then in the top of the ninth inning, fan vote leader Kim Seo-hyeon came in as the closer and preserved Nanum's 1-run victory, recording a save in his first All-Star Game appearance.
While Park Dong-won swung hard with a home run, going 3 for 4 with 3 RBIs, Lee Do-yoon batted 2 for 4 with 1 RBI, and Lee Joo-hyung also had 2 hits in 4 at-bats. For the Dream All-Stars, along with the home run hitting Ahn Hyun-min, Koo Ja-wook and Diaz recorded 2 hits and 1 RBI each in 4 at-bats. Park Se-woong became the losing pitcher with 5 hits allowed (1 home run), 1 strikeout, and 4 earned runs over 1 inning.
Dream’s Choi Jeong made a surprise appearance as a pitcher in the bottom of the second inning, attracting attention. With two outs and runners on first and second, pitcher Woo Kyu-min moved to third base, and Choi Jeong, who had been the third baseman, took the mound. Choi Jeong's official pitching appearance in the KBO League was his only one since June 25, 2009, when he was with the then-SK Wyverns against KIA in Gwangju Mudeung Stadium, 16 years prior. He had allowed a walk and a game-losing run on the second pitch against Kim Hyung-chul after allowing Choi An-chi-hong a triple to right center in the 12th inning back then.
However, on this day in the All-Star Game, he managed to record an out. He faced Lee Joo-hyung and while the first pitch was a deep inside fastball at 116 km/h, the second pitch was an outside fastball at 117 km/h, inducing a swinging strike. The third pitch was also a fastball at 121 km/h which Lee Joo-hyung made good contact with, but it headed straight to first baseman Diaz, ending the inning. Choi Jeong, cleaning up in a high-pressure situation with two outs and runners on first and second, recorded no runs in ⅓ of an inning.
Meanwhile, this All-Star Game, held in Daejeon for the first time in 13 years since 2012, saw all 16,850 seats filled, continuing the sellout streak for the fourth consecutive year since 2022.
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