The Nanum All-Stars smiled for the second year in a row.카지노사이트
The Nanum All-Stars won 8-4 against the Dream All-Stars in the ‘2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO All-Star Game’ at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 15th. The Nanum All-Stars won the All-Star Game for the second consecutive year, following their 6-3 victory last year.
Nanum’s starting line-up consisted of Kim Hye-sung (2B, Kiwoom), Lee Jung-hoo (CF, Kiwoom), Chae Eun-sung (1B, Hanwha), Choi Hyung-woo (designated hitter, KIA), Socrates Brito (left fielder, KIA), Noh Si-hwan (3B, Hanwha), Park Gun-woo (right fielder, NC), Park Dong-won (catcher, LG), and Kim Joo-won (shortstop, NC). The starting pitcher was Yang Hyun-jong (KIA).
For the Dream, Koo Ja-rook (right fielder, Samsung), Jose Pirela (left fielder, Samsung), Yang Ji-ji (catcher, Doosan), Park Byung-ho (first baseman, KT), Jeon Jun-woo (designated hitter, Lotte), Ahn Chi-hong (second baseman, Lotte), Noh Jin-hyuk (shortstop, Lotte), Han Dong-hee (third baseman, Lotte), and Kim Min-seok (centre fielder, Lotte) started. The starting pitcher was Park Se-woong (Lotte).
Chae Eun-sung ⓒReporter Kwak Hye-mi
No star shone brighter than Chae Eun-sung
The star of the show was definitely Chae Eun-sung. Chae went 2-for-3 with two doubles (one home run) and five RBIs, including the second-ever All-Star Game grand slam and the game-winning hit. The first ever All-Star Game walk-off home run was hit by Kim Yong-hee, a KBO game supervisor who was crowned Mr. All-Star in the third inning of the All-Star Game at Dongdaemun Stadium on 4 July 1982. Kim Yong-hee was the first Lotte Mr. All-Star to throw out the ceremonial first pitch, and he watched in delight as his junior, Chae Eun-sung, followed in his footsteps with her first and only record.
Chae Eun-sung became the first player to hit an All-Star Game grand slam in 41 years, tying the record for the most RBIs in an All-Star Game (SK Hanyusum, five in 2019).
In the top of the first inning, Chae Eun-sung singled off Dream starter Park Se-woong. One out later, Lee Jung-hoo singled to right and Chae Eun-sung followed with a double to right-centre to give the Dream a 1-0 lead. Choi Hyung-woo then walked and Socrates hit a three-run homer to right field to extend the lead to 4-0.
Just when it looked like Socrates’ Mr All-Star crown was sealed, Chae Eun-sung’s bat was on fire once again. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Park Gun-woo and Park Dong-won singled to put runners on first and second with no outs. Kim Joo-won and Kim Hye-sung followed with back-to-back singles, but Lee Jung-hoo drew a walk to load the bases. Chae Eun-sung followed with a grand slam to left to extend the lead to 8-0.
Buchanan ⓒKyun Hye-mi Reporter
Pitcher Buchanan’s batting debut made a difference
The Dream All-Stars made a late comeback in the top of the fifth inning against pitcher Kim Jae-woong (Kiwoom). Ahn Chi-hong led off with a double to left-centre, and Noh Jin-hyuk followed with a single to left-centre to put runners on first and third. Han Dong-hee grounded out to third base, scoring Ahn Chi-hong to cut the deficit to 8-1.
In the top of the ninth inning, Dream All-Stars had runners on first and second with one out when Han Dong-hee reached on a fielder’s choice to cut the deficit to 8-2, prompting Nanum All-Stars to remove Choi Ji-min and bring in closer Ko Woo-seok (LG) to close the game. Goh walked Kim on an automatic fastball to put runners on second and third, and chose to face pinch-hitter David Buchanan, who roared a single to left-centre to cut the deficit to 8-3. Jung Soo-bin followed with a single to make it 8-4, giving the Dream All-Stars fans something to cheer about.
Koo Ja-uk ⓒKyuk Hye-mi Reporter
Kim Min-seok ⓒKyung Hye-mi Reporter
◆ Newzine’s Minzy? BLACKPINK’s Jenny?…even burned her passport
The off-field competition for the All-Star Game was also hot. There were so many players aiming for the 3 million won prize for the best performance. In the first inning, Goo Ja-roo batted first and dressed up as Minji from the female idol group New Jeans, wearing a wig with long raw hair. She tried her best to flirt with the Yang-Hyun-jong and Park-Dong-won battery, even making gestures that suggested she was flirting with them, but her efforts came to naught when the first pitch was fouled off by the catcher.
Lotte rookie Kim Min-seok drew attention by dressing up as another female idol, Jenny from Blackpink. She wore colourful pins on either side of her head and danced hard to Jenny’s solo song “SOLO”.
Kim Joo Won wore a helmet gifted to him by a fan. The helmet was hand-delivered by a fan who always wears a dinosaur costume in the stands and is known as the “dinosaur seat” among NC fans, but the referee did not allow him to use it when batting for safety reasons. Kim Joo-won, a switch-hitter, even went to the trouble of batting left and right every time he saw a ball from opposing pitcher Hong Gun-hee (Doosan), but the result was a swinging strikeout.
Noh Jin-hyuk ⓒKyung Hye-mi Reporter
Noh Jin-hyuk ⓒKyung Hye-mi Reporter
Noh Jin-hyuk, nicknamed “Noh Prosecutor,” came out dressed as a prosecutor and attracted attention, while Kia Socrates walked to the plate blowing a trumpet to his own cheer, raising the excitement of the crowd. Pirela, Ahn Chi-hong and Jeon Jun-woo batted first with their sons and daughters, adding to the festive family atmosphere.
The performance of NC’s foreign pitcher Eric Peddie also attracted attention. Known for his ability to speak the Gyeongsangbuk-do dialect, he took the microphone and said “ham chibara” (try it) before taking the mound, provoking the opposing batsmen. With Pedi’s 12-2 record, 89⅔ innings pitched, and 1.71 ERA in the first half of the season, NC fans chanted “burn your passport” to encourage him to stay in Korea, and catcher Park Se-hyuk performed a passport-like paper burning ceremony in front of Pedi to the delight of the fans.
Noh Kyung-eun ⓒReporter Byeok Hye-mi
◆ From 39 to 19… The first All-Star is always exciting
Whether you’re a 19-year-old rookie or a 39-year-old veteran, your first All-Star is always exciting. This year, 16 players were honoured, including SSG’s Noh Kyung-eun, KT’s Ko Young-pyo, Lotte’s Han Dong-hee, Noh Jin-hyuk, Kim Min-seok, Doosan’s Lee Yoo-chan, Samsung’s Kim Hyun-joon, KIA’s Choi Ji-min, NC’s Kim Joo-won, LG’s Austin, Hanwha’s Moon Dong-joo, Park Sang-won, and NC’s Pedi.
Noh Kyung-eun was the oldest All-Star at 39 years and four months. Making her All-Star debut in the bottom of the third inning, Noh pitched one inning of one-hit ball and enjoyed what could be her last day of festivities.
The 19-year-old rookie Moon Dong-ju also won the hearts of fans with his hard-hitting fastball. The eighth pitcher for the Nanum All-Stars pitched a one-hit, nine-pitch shutout. His fastball reached a maximum velocity of 158.7 kilometres as measured by Trackman. Moon’s All-Star debut was enough to please the eyes of baseball fans who are waiting for the development of the fastball prospect.
Moon Dong-joo and Yang Hyun-jong ⓒReporter Kwak Hye-mi