“Go well, don’t go”: Jamsil Stadium bids a “beautiful farewell” to 61 retired legends and a sea of fans [Jamsil on-site review]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

It was neither the East team nor the West team that stole the spotlight. The true protagonist of the day was Jamsil Stadium itself. Retired professional baseball legends all made an appearance, and despite the inclement weather, a large crowd gathered to bid a warm farewell to Jamsil Stadium.

Seoul Songpa-gu Jamsil Stadium on the 14th. Retired professional baseball stars came together in one place. Divided into the East and West teams, a total of 61 legends—57 players and 4 managers—put on their gloves and picked up their bats once again as “players” rather than leaders.

The event, held under the name “Jamsil The Last Inning by Renault,” was organized to commemorate the final days of Jamsil Stadium, which is set to be demolished at the end of this season. It marked a warm goodbye to Jamsil, which had firmly established itself as a symbol of Korean baseball since the launch of professional baseball in 1982.

The game on the day was divided between the East and West teams. The East team was led by Head Manager Kim Seong-geun and Manager Kang Byung-cheol, while the West team was commanded by Head Manager Kim Eung-yong and Manager Kim In-sik.

The East team’s starting pitcher was Park Chul-soon, who won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in the inaugural season of professional baseball. After retiring Kim Bong-yeon with a shortstop grounder, he took his bow to the crowd and came off the mound. A thunderous round of applause erupted from the stands.

After Lee Hae-chang’s walk, Park Yong-taek, who entered as a pinch runner in the first inning, successfully stole second base against catcher Lee Man-soo, providing entertainment for the spectators.

In the top of the third inning, the East team took to the mound Dustin Nipert, considered the greatest foreign pitcher in professional baseball history. Lee Byung-gyu, a former LG player and “red horse” (LG’s nickname), came up as a pinch hitter for the West team and hit a double. Following that, Kim Tae-gyun drove in the first run with an RBI single.

Park Myeong-hwan, who took the mound for the West team in the bottom of the third inning, drew boos for issuing an intentional walk to Lee Dae-ho with two outs and runners on second and third while leading 1-0. However, he retired Jeong Seong-hoon with a fly out to right field, preserving the one-run lead.

A spectacular defensive play that proved their class also emerged. In the top of the fourth inning, East team’s Kim Jae-ho ran around and made a behind-the-back glove toss to tag out the runner at second base on a ground ball hit by Shin Myeong-cheol toward shortstop. He recorded a perfect out count with second baseman Park Jeong-tae. However, pinch hitter Jo In-seong attacked the first pitch from the new pitcher Song Seung-jun and hit an RBI single to center field, extending the lead to 2-0.

Yoo Hee-gwan, who took the mound for the East team and holds the record for the most wins by a left-handed pitcher in Jamsil history (62 wins), wore a microphone as he climbed to the mound, chatting with the broadcast crew while pitching. The results were not good. He allowed Shin Myeong-cheol to hit an RBI triple down the right-field line. On Lee Byung-gyu’s ground ball, first baseman Lee Seung-yeop chose a fielder’s choice for the home plate play, but the throw went wild, resulting in a run scored. Yoo gave up three runs. Despite the disappointing plays, smiles did not fade from the players’ faces.

Although the score gap widened to 0-5, the pride battle between Yoo Hee-gwan and Park Yong-taek, representing Doosan and LG respectively, also captured attention. During their duel, Lee Byung-gyu, also a former LG player, threw his glove in a tense exchange, eliciting laughter.

Ultimately, Yoo retired Park Yong-taek with an infield grounder and faced off directly against Park Byung-ho. He struck out Park on a swinging strikeout with his signature dropping sinker to end the inning.

The East team also scored its first run in the bottom of the sixth inning. After Lee Dae-ho hit a double, subsequent batters drove him in with an RBI hit, adding one run.

Oh Seung-hwan appeared as the East team’s final pitcher in the top of the seventh inning. In response, the West team sent out Koo Dae-sung as a pinch hitter. It was an interesting scene that recalled the legendary closer’s memory of hitting a double against Randy Johnson during his Major League Baseball days. Koo hit a precise ground ball toward second base and reached on an infield hit.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, East team leadoff batter Park Jeong-tae hit a ball down the left-field line and sprinted all-out to reach third base. The East team added one run with a sacrifice fly and secured a two-out, runners-on-first-and-second opportunity through consecutive hits. However, Park Yong-taek caught the final foul fly to right field, bringing the last game at Jamsil Stadium to a close. The game ended in a 5-2 victory for the West team.

In the home run derby held after the end of the bottom of the fourth inning, Kim Tae-gyun defeated Lee Seung-yeop, Lee Dae-ho, and Park Byung-ho to claim the title of home run champion, showcasing his rust-free power with two home runs (3 points).

Although tickets sold out instantly upon opening for pre-sale, empty seats were visible in various parts of the stadium due to the rain that had been forecast since the morning. Nevertheless, many fans wore raincoats and held their ground in the stands until the end despite the cold weather.

Various events were also held for fans visiting Jamsil Stadium. A ground tour and a player fan signing session were conducted for 100 spectators. The audience directly selected popular stars through a fan vote, and Kim Jae-ho, who received the most votes, presented a high-end bed to a spectator through a lucky draw. Kim Jae-ho also received an “N32 Motion Bed Set” as a prize.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original