"They cared for me like their own son." A part-timer becomes a store manager after 10 years! Lotte invites special ceremonial first pitcher at 'CJ CheilJedang Chicken Match Day' during the game against KIA on the 9th

*This content was translated by AI.

The KBO League's Lotte Giants are inviting a special ceremonial first pitcher together with CJ CheilJedang Chicken.

Lotte announced on the 7th that it will hold 'CJ CheilJedang Chicken Match Day' in its home game against KIA Tigers on the 9th, in collaboration with CJ CheilJedang FNB.

On this day, the ceremonial first pitch and hit will be performed directly by franchise owners and store managers of CJ CheilJedang Chicken stores. The store manager who will bat applied his story directly to CJ CheilJedang Chicken headquarters to repay the owner who cared for him like his own son from when he started as a part-timer 10 years ago until he grew into the current store manager. With their selected stories, the two will take the mound at Sajik Baseball Stadium.

In the first half's final series opener, Lotte showed its best performance against KIA, which was on an upward trend. Starting pitcher Alvin Rodriguez recorded 7 innings with 3 hits allowed, 1 walk, 9 strikeouts, and 1 earned run, leading Lotte to a 10-2 victory. In the batting lineup, Victor Reyes went 4-for-4 with 2 RBIs in a powerful display. Catcher Son Seong-bin also went 4-for-3 with 2 RBIs, Jeon Min-jae went 3-for-2 with 2 runs scored, and Han Tae-yang contributed 4-for-2 with 1 walk, 1 RBI, and 2 runs scored.

Rookie Lee Jun-seo (20) finally made his KBO League debut. Lee Jun-seo is a right-handed pitcher who graduated from Hamhag Elementary School (Cheoin-gu Little League), Maehyang Middle School, and Yushin High School before joining Lotte as the 64th overall pick in the 7th round of the 2026 KBO Draft. During his time at Yushin High School, he was known for his excellent pitching ability, recording 81 strikeouts over 77 innings using a knuckle curve as his primary weapon. The Lotte organization introduced him as "a pitcher with good game management skills based on his ability to throw breaking balls."

On this day as well, Lee Jun-seo entered in the top of the 9th inning when Lotte was leading 10-2 and recorded 1 inning with 1 hit allowed and no runs scored. Although he gave up a hit to Harold Castro, he proved his worth by deciding the outcome against the other three batters within five pitches each.

Meanwhile, on game day, Sajik Stadium Plaza will operate special experience zones for baseball fans, including a pitcher zone, an outfielder zone, and a trick art zone. Additionally, during the game, a 'CJ CheilJedang Chicken Out Song Challenge' event using the scoreboard will be held to offer unique entertainment. CJ CheilJedang Chicken is carrying out various sports marketing activities targeting professional baseball fans, such as producing non-woven delivery bags featuring Lotte Giants characters.

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*This content was translated by AI.