"Well done! Get some rest." The core of the SSG Golden Trio, who led the team to a fifth consecutive Asian Games title, head straight home today! Cho Byung-hyun returns to action on October 1 [Incheon On-Site]

*This content was translated by AI.

"I told them 'Congratulations' and 'Well done.'"

The SSG Landers Golden Trio, who returned with gold medals around their necks, will take a brief breather. SSG Manager Lee Soon-yong (55) chose to give the players ample rest rather than deploying them immediately.

Ahead of the home game against the LG Twins in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season at Incheon SSG Landers Field on the 29th, Manager Lee Soon-yong met with reporters and stated, "Jung Joon-jae and Cho Hyeong-woo will rest until today (the 29th), and I am letting Cho Byung-hyun rest until tomorrow (the 30th). I decided to give (Cho) Byung-hyun one extra day because he threw a lot of pitches."

He continued, "There was an event today, so they came and we saw their faces. I told them 'Congratulations' and 'Well done.'" He added with a smile, "They went out, played hard, and achieved the great result of winning the gold medal. Today, after just attending the event, I told them to go home and get plenty of rest."

At SSG, three players—Cho Byung-hyun (24), Cho Hyeong-woo (24), and Jung Joon-jae (23)—participated in the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games baseball national team. They played key roles and all won gold medals.

Their performances were impressive. Starting catcher Cho Hyeong-woo swung a hot bat, posting a .417 batting average (5 hits in 12 at-bats), one home run, six RBIs, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 1.096 in five games. Backup infielder Jung Joon-jae also made the most of his limited opportunities, recording a .571 batting average (4 hits in 7 at-bats), three RBIs, and an OPS of 1.285 in six games.

Cho Byung-hyun took charge of the most critical moment in the final against Japan. Entering with the score tied 1-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning with runners on first and second base, he struck out two batters consecutively to quell the threat, contributing to Korea's 3-1 victory and its fifth consecutive Asian Games title.

All three players are indispensable assets to SSG as well. This season, Cho Hyeong-woo guarded the home plate in 98 games, recording a .257 batting average (79 hits in 307 at-bats), eight home runs, 37 RBIs, and an OPS of 0.717.

Jung Joon-jae covered various positions in the infield, posting a .271 batting average (124 hits in 457 at-bats), one home run, 38 RBIs, 19 stolen bases, and an OPS of 0.684 in 125 games. Cho Byung-hyun served as the closer, recording a 2-4 record with 20 saves and a 2.50 ERA in 52 games.

The return of the three players is welcome for SSG at the end of the season. After falling to the lower ranks due to two long losing streaks in the first half, SSG showed completely different performance in the second half. At one point after August, they recorded a winning percentage among the best in the league, and recently went 6-4 in their last 10 games. However, consecutive losses to KT and Samsung have temporarily halted their upward momentum.

The possibility of making the postseason has greatly diminished, but for SSG, which must finish the remaining season well and prepare for next year, the return of the starting catcher, key infield resources, and the closer is a significant boost in itself.

On this day, SSG set its batting order as Park Sung-han (shortstop)-Choi Ji-hoon (center fielder)-Guillermo Heredia (left fielder)-Jeon Eui-san (first baseman)-Ko Myung-jun (third baseman)-Kim Jae-hwan (designated hitter)-Lee Ji-young (catcher)-Kim Jung-min (right fielder)-Ahn Sang-hyun (second baseman). The starting pitcher is Pedro Avila.

In response, LG set its batting order as Hong Chang-ki (right fielder)-Park Hae-min (center fielder)-Austin Dean (first baseman)-Moon Bo-kyung (third baseman)-Oh Ji-hwan (shortstop)-Song Chan-ui (left fielder)-Moon Jung-bin (designated hitter)-Lee Ju-heon (catcher)-Shin Min-jae (second baseman). The starting pitcher is Anders Tolhurst.

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*This content was translated by AI.