"What was I thinking, for the event to grow this big..." Sold out with 23,000 home fans alone; 'Pitchers at the plate – Batters on the mound' SSG Choi-Kwang Baseball 1429 ready to tip off [Incheon on-site]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Another autumn baseball experience will unfold at Incheon SSG Landers Field. SSG Landers is hosting a festival exclusively for its home fans.

SSG will hold "2026 Landers Special Match – Choi-Kwang Baseball 1429" at Incheon SSG Landers Field starting at 5:30 p.m. on the 17th.

The in-house scrimmage organized for fans after the season ended is now in its third year. The first edition was available only through the team's own YouTube channel, but last year spectators were invited and the game was live-streamed on the club's YouTube channel. This year, with a full house, it will be broadcast live via SPOTV, marking an even larger scale.

Despite finishing the first half of the season in ninth place, SSG climbed to second in the second half to finish sixth overall, and prepared a special event for its fans. Choi Jeong and Kim Kwang-hyun, both out early due to injuries this season, will serve as managers, and the event was named "Choi-Kwang Baseball 1429" after their names and jersey numbers.

Fan interest has been hotter than ever. The moment tickets went on sale, all seats sold out, once again proving the team's overwhelming ticketing power. This is a result that clearly reflects the club's firm fan-centric philosophy that "if fans want it, the Landers will move," going beyond mere buzz.

Most importantly, the fact that this event was brought about by the players' own initiative and drew such enthusiastic response carries even greater significance. Rather than a one-off event led by the club, this sincere gesture of players taking the lead to express gratitude to fans who supported them throughout the season is establishing itself as a solid tradition unique to SSG.

Although it is an intriguing event where pitchers and batters swap roles, the players prepared for this game with more sincerity than anyone else. They broke into a sweat during pre-game training, and Choi Jeong and Kim Kwang-hyun selected their teams through a pre-draft, building fan interest even before the match began. The live broadcast of the pre-draft attracted as many as 15,000 fans, demonstrating significant attention.

"Team Choi Jeong" set its starting lineup with Jang Ji-hoon (shortstop), Moon Seung-won (second baseman), Park Si-hoo (center fielder), Kim Tae-hyung (first baseman), Kim Min (third baseman), Park Jong-hun (right fielder), Ryu Seung-beom (catcher), Choi Yong-jun (designated hitter), and Kim Geon-woo (left fielder). Choi Ji-hoon will be the starting pitcher.

"Team Kim Kwang-hyun" counters with Jo Byung-hyun (first baseman), Choi Min-jun (third baseman), Han Du-sol (left fielder), Jeon Young-jun (second baseman), Lee Ro-yoon (shortstop), Kim Min-jun (center fielder), Byeon Geon-woo (right fielder), Lee Jun-gi (designated hitter), and Lee Geun-yeong (catcher). Park Sung-han will take the mound as the starting pitcher.

Choi Jeong and Kim Kwang-hyun, who met with reporters as managers of their respective teams before the game, could not hide their surprise at the fans' enthusiastic response. Kim Kwang-hyun said, "What was I thinking? Honestly, it started with the idea that we would just have fun among ourselves since the season is over, but things got this big." He added, "The players are just eating from a table that has been set for them, and the marketing team worked hard. This year is this year, but next year will be our last season at Munhak, so I am worried about what we will do. We are in trouble," he said with a laugh.

Park Sung-han, who will start for Team Kim Kwang-hyun, left a lingering regret for two consecutive years, including allowing a home run to Han Du-sol last year, but has once again been entrusted with the important role of starting pitcher. For Team Choi Jeong, Choi Ji-hoon, who pitched scoreless last year, will take the mound for a head-to-head matchup. The game will consist of seven innings, and after the match, awards will be presented to outstanding players, followed by a fireworks display.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original