"I'm sorry I pretended not to know back then..." A heartfelt confession from the son of an umpire father, LG baseball player [Jamsil on-site interview]

*This content was translated by AI.

The large-framed player, boasting a physique of 186cm and 90kg, paused briefly when his father's story came up. There are times when he cannot express himself well outwardly, but his son loves his father more fervently than anyone. Moon Jung-bin (23), the proud son of KBO League veteran umpire Moon Seung-hoon (60), has made his mark on a page of LG Twins history.

On the 21st, LG secured a 9-3 victory over Doosan in a regular-season home game of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League held at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium.

With this win, LG recorded 45 victories and 26 defeats, surging to sole first place in the league with a three-game winning streak. LG will now host a three-game home series against the Samsung Lions at their home field, followed by a three-game away series against the Lotte Giants in Busan over the weekend.

That day, Moon Jung-bin started as the sixth hitter and first baseman, going 2-for-3 with two home runs, three RBIs, two runs scored, and one walk. In the first inning, he hit a solo home run following Song Chan-ui, Austin, and Park Dong-won, becoming one of the protagonists of new KBO history. This marked the first time in KBO history that a single team hit four home runs in the first inning. Moon Jung-bin drew a walk in the third inning and hit a two-run homer in the fifth, completing a multi-homer game. It was his fifth home run of the season. This home run was the 4th,000th team home run in LG's history (the sixth in KBO history).

After the game, Moon Jung-bin spoke to reporters: "I only learned about the record after the game ended. I feel really good. It's an honor that my home run contributed to the score and helped the team win."

Moon Jung-bin is from the so-called famous "Ellin" (LG Twins + Children) program. He recalled, "I used to participate in baseball camps in Guri, and I was also a member of the LG Twins Children's Club. My father did a lot for me."

Moon Jung-bin currently lives with his family. When asked what kind of conversations he usually has with his father at home, he said, "My father doesn't talk to me about many things because he worries it might be a burden on me. Still, I've heard from other umpires around us that 'your dad cheers for you a lot; he only talks about you.'"

In the baseball world, umpires are sometimes considered an extreme profession. Before the introduction of the ABS (Automatic Strike Ball Judgment System), they carried a tremendous burden. What does it mean to live as the son of an umpire? Moon Jung-bin shared, "When I was young, my father was hit by a ball and got a bruise. As a son, I felt sad. At that time, I thought I was (somewhat) grown up, so I didn't say anything and pretended not to know... Now, when I think back, I want to say I'm sorry." He paused, unable to continue speaking.

He continued, "Jamsil Stadium was my father's workplace. I have many memories of coming there with him. I almost thought of it as my dad's workplace, so perhaps baseball naturally came to me."

Finally, regarding his goals for this season, he said, "My goal is to stay consistent. And finally, I really want to be on the (Korean) Series roster. Since I didn't have that experience last season, I really want to experience it this year," showing his firm determination.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.