On the day, Lotte's Park Jung-min caught everyone off guard! "Why does a pitcher have something black under his eyes?"

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The unique style of Park Jung-min (23, Lotte Giants), a right-handed pitcher for the South Korean national baseball team competing in the 2026 Asia Pro Baseball Championship (APBC), captured the attention of local Japanese fans and media. This was because he took the field with an eye patch under his eyes, despite being a pitcher.

Japanese baseball specialty outlet "Full Count" focused on Park Jung-min's appearance during the relief pitching in the final match between South Korea and Japan at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, on the 15th of last month for the "2026 APBC."

On that day, Park Jung-min took the mound as South Korea's fifth pitcher in the bottom of the seventh inning with two outs, while trailing 1-5. It was his third appearance in this tournament and his first in a match against Japan.

On that day, Park Jung-min delivered an excellent performance against Japan, pitching 1⅓ innings with one strikeout and no runs allowed. What drew attention from local Japanese fans was not just the statistics or the quality of his pitching, but the "eye patch" under Park Jung-min's eyes.

Full Count noted, "While wearing eye patches drawn on or as stickers has become part of recent fashion trends among players in outdoor stadiums, it is a very rare case among pitchers," introducing the scene of Park Jung-min's appearance. It was particularly noteworthy that Tokyo Dome, where the game was held, is an indoor stadium that does not require protection from sunlight or glare from lighting.

Japanese fans watching the broadcast also could not hide their surprise through social networking services (SNS). Fans expressed great interest with reactions such as, "A Korean pitcher is wearing an eye patch. I have never seen a pitcher wear one before," "It is quite fresh to see a pitcher wearing an eye patch," and "So pitchers are allowed to wear eye patches too." In Japan, it is mainly fielders who draw eye patches under their eyes before taking the field. A representative example is infielder Kaito Kojo (26), who was released by Hiroshima after the 2026 season.

Meanwhile, Park Jung-min, who left a strong impression on Japanese fans with his unusual appearance on the mound, is also gaining attention among domestic fans for his distinctive style and bold pitching on the mound.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original