"My heart is always beating on the mound." Lotte Choi Jun-yong injured his ribs → 1 inning perfect for the first real game 150km! How do you feel about coming back [the scene of Busan]

*This content was translated by AI.

Choi Joon-yong (25) of the Lotte Giants' must-win group, who returned from an unexpected injury, expressed his overwhelming feelings about his return.

Choi Jun-yong pitched one perfect inning in the seventh inning against the Doosan Bears in the 2026 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League exhibition game held at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 19th.

He deleted the inning with 12 balls with a maximum speed of 150 kilometers per hour. He actively targeted the strike against Ahn Jae-seok, the first batter, in the top of the seventh inning. Choi Jun-yong, who turned it to a fly ball to center field in three pitches, sprayed Park Joon-soon with 150km/h fastballs in a row to deal with it as a ground ball to shortstop.

Park Ji-hoon, who showed a good batting sense in the exhibition game, bullied Choi Jun-yong. Although the changeups were all out of the way, Park Ji-hoon's bat on the outside ball ended the inning with a ground ball to the first base. After the game, Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung rejoiced, saying, "The bullpen also did its part, and Choi Jun-yong, who returned from injury, also showed good pitching."

It's good to hear ahead of the opening of the regular season. Choi Jun-yong suffered a right rib cartilage sprain during training in January and joined the squad belatedly only after the Japanese camp in February. The first live pitching was held on the 15th, and when there was no pain, he went into practice on that day. Even at the time of live pitching, the maximum speed was 146km/h, but he didn't like it.

After the game, Choi Jun-yong said, "I was able to finish the mound without pain because he helped me to handle the rehabilitation schedule well in the team training part." "Actually, I didn't like the content during the last live pitching. After consulting with the pitching coaches and adjusting the balance, I gained confidence. He seems to have finished his return game well. I think it will be important to achieve a stable balance," he said with strength.

He is a teacher who smiles with a more mature mind. Lotte's first-team pitching coach Kim Sang-jin, who heard the story, said, "We are preparing well in time for the season with a normal schedule. He says he didn't like it during live pitching, but it's just a process. I'm going to throw a few more games in the remaining exhibition games, and I'll help you from behind to show a good performance after the final check," he said.

In the remaining exhibition games, Choi Jun-yong and closer Kim Won-joong will enter the regular season after taking the mound in two games. The return of the two, who had difficulty preparing for the season due to an unexpected accident last winter, is nothing short of a battle for Lotte.

Players are excited about the start of the new season. Choi Jun-yong said, "It's always heart-throbbing to be on the mound at the company. With the motivation to repay the fans, I will prepare well for the season and show good performance without injury," he said.

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*This content was translated by AI.