'Goodbye Jung Hoon' Touching Behind-the-Scenes: Hwang Sung-bin Carved the Name on His Face, Jeon Min-jae Delivered the Win! How Lotte Teammates Said Farewell [Busan On-Site]

*This content was translated by AI.

Jung Hoon (39), who is leaving the field after 16 years, had his final moments beautifully marked by his Lotte Giants teammates.

Lotte defeated the LG Twins 3-2 in a 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular-season home game held at Busan Sajik Baseball Stadium on the 26th.

With this win, the eighth-place Lotte improved to 32 wins, 2 draws, and 40 losses, accelerating their push toward the middle of the standings. The top-ranked LG fell to a two-game losing streak, now standing at 47 wins and 28 losses, allowing the chase to continue.

Today was Jung Hoon's retirement ceremony. The event, originally scheduled for April 17 during the Busan Hanwha Eagles game but canceled due to rain, was rescheduled. Jung made his first-team debut in 2010 and retired in 2025, playing 1,476 games exclusively for Lotte. He left behind a record of a .271 batting average (4,211 at-bats, 1,143 hits), 80 home runs, 532 RBIs, 637 runs scored, and 76 stolen bases, with an on-base percentage of .353 and a slugging percentage of .389, truly a one-club man.

The touching retirement ceremony softened even Jung Hoon's resolve to "not cry." Amidst a full house of 23,200 cheering fans, congratulatory videos were sent via the scoreboard by former teammates who played alongside him, including Hwang Jae-kyun, Son Ah-seop, and Kang Min-ho. Lee Dae-ho attended the ceremony in person to present a bouquet, and the LG team, led by Park Hae-min, offered their congratulatory applause.

The game itself was a fitting send-off for the senior player. Lotte starting pitcher Na Gyun-an secured his fourth win (6 losses) of the season with a Quality Start Plus (QS+) performance: 7 innings, 5 hits allowed, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts, and 2 earned runs.

Even with only one fewer hit than LG (5 for Lotte, 6 for LG), Lotte maintained focus and won. Jeon Min-jae went 2-for-3 with 3 RBIs, carrying the offense alone. In the bottom of the fifth inning with one out and runners on second and third, he hit a two-run double down the right-field line. Then, in the bottom of the seventh with two outs and a runner on first, he hit a one-run double to left-center, sealing the victory.

After the game, Jeon Min-jae said, "I am truly happy to win in a game held for Senior Jung Hoon's retirement ceremony. Although I joined Lotte for the first time last year, Senior Jung Hoon shared many wonderful stories with me. His advice, based on his years of experience, greatly helped me during last season."

Hits were delivered at every crucial moment. Jeon Min-jae added, "In the bottom of the eighth, I was looking for Im Chan-kyu's curveball. Last time we faced off at Jamsil, I struggled with the curveball from the very first pitch, so I went into the batter's box thinking only about curveballs. I tried to hit comfortably, and it seems a good timing appeared ahead, resulting in a hit."

On this day, Lotte players took the field wearing patches with Jung Hoon's name, and the touching behind-the-scenes story was quite moving. According to Jeon Min-jae, Hwang Sung-bin came up with the idea and personally drew the patches on the players' faces.

When asked later, Hwang Sung-bin said, "At Senior Lee Dae-ho's retirement ceremony last time, he wore a uniform with his name on it, but this time there was no such thing. I was wondering how we could include Senior Jung Hoon's name, and this morning I thought of the face patches." He continued with a smile, "All the players liked my idea. I drew them on the players myself, and they turned out better than I expected, which surprised me."

The manager also sincerely congratulated his student, with whom he had spent only a short time, on his final moments. Manager Kim Tae-hyung remarked, "Na Gyun-an did an excellent job as the starting pitcher, pitching 7 innings and allowing only 2 runs. Kim Won-joong and Choi Jun-yong, who followed, also held the mound firmly until the end."

He added, "Most importantly, in this meaningful game where Jung Hoon's retirement ceremony was held, the players created a great result, making this a victory with even more significance. I extend my congratulations and gratitude to Jung Hoon, who has dedicated himself to the team for so long. I also thank the fans who stayed with us until the end and offered their passionate support," bowing his head.

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*This content was translated by AI.