Foreigners who left 韓울 crying their eyes out and visited LG camp for 2 consecutive Korea and said, "I want to go back, I miss all the players."

*This content was translated by AI.

Casey Kelly (38), who left the Korean KBO League crying two years ago, visited the LG Twins spring camp for the second consecutive year.

According to the LG club, Kelly visited the 2026 LG Spring Camp held at the Scottsdale Indian School Park Ballpark in Arizona on the 18th (Korea Standard Time) and reunited with his old teammates.

It is his second consecutive spring camp visit. Kelly, who left LG in July 2024 due to a replacement of foreign players, surprised the players by visiting the spring camp with his family last year. Although Kelly is currently living in Arizona, it is rare to come to see the team that released her for two consecutive years.

This year, he also met a welcome face that he had not seen last year. Lee Jung-yong and Lee Min-ho, who won the 2023 Korean Series together, also joined the U.S. spring camp for the first time in a long time after serving in the military. Kelly said through the club, "I missed all the players I've been with in Korea. I met with the players who came first as starters and had a good time eating Korean food for the first time in a long time," he said.

Kelly is known as a legendary foreign pitcher who is indispensable in the history of the LG club. He joined LG in 2019 and recorded 73 wins and 46 losses with a 3.25 ERA and 753 strikeouts in 989 ⅓ innings in 163 games. He played more than 160 innings every year to keep the LG mound solid, and contributed to his first win in 29 years with one win and an unbeaten ERA in two games in the Korean Series in the 2023 season.

Age-induced decline was unavoidable. He was sluggish with 5 wins, 8 losses and an ERA of 4.51 in 19 games in 2024, the last season, and was eventually replaced in the middle. Since he was highly evaluated not only for his ability but also for his personality, he held a farewell ceremony for tears against the Doosan Bears in Jamsil on July 20, 2024.

Kelly, who met with LG players for the first time in more than a year, made a surprise remark, saying, "I also want to go back (to Korea)." We are always grateful for the love and support from our LG Twins fans. I hope the fans will support the players who are now, and come to the baseball stadium a lot," he said.

It is a meaningful word because he showed so much affection for Korea and LG. Kelly returned to Major League Baseball and did not have a successful career. In 2024, he took the mound for the Cincinnati Reds and played only two games and two games for the Arizona Diamondbacks last year. The LG club explained that Kelly, who became an FA after the season without any performance, has yet to find his team and still shows his willingness to extend his active duty.

Meanwhile, the LG team, which celebrated the Lunar New Year holiday in Iyeokman-ri, had a meaningful day of playing traditional games while eating rice cake soup. The team, the coaches, and the front desk all gathered to exchange holiday greetings, and then divided into eight groups to play rock-paper-scissors games and Jegichagi to create a holiday atmosphere.

The game was won by Group 4, which includes Lee Jung-yong. Lee Jung-yong continued to be called the "victory fairy" when LG was successful after being discharged from the military athletic unit (Sangmu) last year. Lee Jung-yong said, "I was lucky. I think our group is well united. The game is all about momentum. I will continue this good atmosphere and momentum and prepare to do well this season," he said.

After morning training, I enjoyed traditional Korean food such as rice cake soup, japchae, and jeon all together for Chinese food. In particular, it was an opportunity for foreign players who attended KBO spring camps such as Anders Tolhurst and Lachlan Wells for the first time to experience holiday culture.

Tolhurst, who was new to the Korean Lunar New Year holiday, said, "I was completely unaware of the culture of the Lunar New Year holiday. I felt what a big day it was for Koreans today as I kicked Jegichagi and united with my team members," he said with a smile. He continued, "I was grateful to have fun with my team members in a new culture. I was unfamiliar with the food because it was my first time encountering it, but I enjoyed it," he added.

Wells, who joined LG as an Asian quarter, also said, "It was so good and fun to see the game in which players and employees, including all coaches, participated together. It was my first time experiencing Lunar New Year food and it was delicious. I want to try more Korean food in the future. It was my first time to have a Korean New Year's holiday, and it was a fun and enjoyable time," he said.

LG will hold the Arizona Spring Camp in the U.S. until the 24th and then move to Okinawa, Japan, on the 25th and 26th to continue the second camp focusing on actual games.

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*This content was translated by AI.