JTBC's entertainment program <Choi Kang Baseball 2025> has finalized its player roster ahead of its first broadcast in August. <Choi Kang Baseball> is a variety show where retired professional baseball players come together to form a team and challenge baseball on the field again. Led by the legendary manager Lee Jong-beom of the KIA Tigers, franchise star Kim Tae-kyun of the Hanwha Eagles, and four-time pitching champion Yoon Suk-min, along with LG Twins' stolen base king Lee Dae-hyung and the hero of the Korean Series Game 7 walk-off home run, Na Ji-wan, have joined the team. The pitching staff will include playing coach Shim Soo-chang, Yoon Gil-hyun and Yoon Hee-sang who led the SK Wyverns dynasty, Doosan Bears' closer Lee Hyun-seung, and left-handed rookie Oh Joo-won who left <Choi Kang Baseball> and has rejoined. As for the batting lineup, it features Hanwha Eagles' legend Kim Tae-kyun, multi-player Na Joo-hwan, the genius shortstop Lee Hak-joo, and Hanwha Eagles' power hitter and cleanup hitter Choi Jin-haeng, along with catcher Heo Do-hwan who retired from LG last year.
JTBC's entertainment show <Choi Kang Baseball> was very popular until season 3, but ahead of season 4, conflicts arose between the broadcasting company JTBC and the production company led by PD Jang Si-won, resulting in the departure of the existing cast and crew and the formation of a new cast and crew. In April, JTBC filed a lawsuit for copyright infringement and criminally charged PD Jang Si-won and Studio C1. Subsequently, PD Jang Si-won continued the program under the name <Fire Baseball> with existing cast members including manager Kim Sung-keun, Lee Dae-ho, Park Yong-taek, and Yoo Hee-kwan through a YouTube channel. In response, JTBC requested to halt production, and all <Fire Baseball> videos were deleted, with the program currently being released through its own website. Meanwhile, manager Lee Jong-beom faced backlash from fans when he decided to step down from his coaching position at KT Wiz mid-season to take on the role of manager for <Choi Kang Baseball>. It will be interesting to see how the newly launched <Choi Kang Baseball> with its changed cast and structure will be received.
