NCT’s Jisung Could Be Jamsil Stadium’s ‘Last First Pitcher’ Before Demolition as LG Faces Must-Win Game 3 of Wild-Card Series; Manager Yeom: ‘It Comes Down to the Bats’

Global star takes the mound for a fateful game as a historic ballpark nears its end

Attention is focused on whether Jisung, a member of the global boy group NCT, will become the final first-pitcher at Jamsil Stadium before its demolition. The LG Twins have selected Jisung to throw the ceremonial first pitch before Game 3 of their best-of-five KBO League Wild-Card Series against the KIA Tigers, scheduled for the 20th at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul. With the team fighting for survival, the game is a crucial contest, and the symbolic first pitch is expected to signal hopes for a victory.

The LG Twins, having lost Games 1 and 2 of the Wild-Card Series, will see their postseason run end for the season if they lose Game 3. The game carries special significance beyond the postseason matchup itself, as it is also bound up with the history of Jamsil Stadium, a hallowed ground of Korean professional baseball.

After this season, the current Jamsil Stadium is set to be demolished as plans move forward to build a new ballpark. If the LG Twins fail to rally and are eliminated in this game, Jisung will go down in baseball history as the official final first-pitcher at Jamsil Stadium, which will disappear into history.

Meanwhile, the team is preparing a full-scale show of support to help home fans deliver an overwhelming response. It will give away 15,000 special rally towels to fans wearing official team apparel who enter through the first-base-side gates to the infield and outfield, underscoring its resolve to win.

Ahead of the pivotal game, manager Yeom Kyeong-yeop stressed, "As the first two games showed, it comes down to the bats. We have to win the battle at the plate. Im Chan-gyu, the Game 2 starter, did falter early, but I think the two teams have been almost evenly matched when it comes to protecting a lead."