Jeong Chan-heon (34), the “icon of grit” who is starting anew as a leader, looked back on his professional baseball career.
Kiwoom Heroes announced its first-team coaching staff for the 2025 season and announced on the 14th that it appointed Jeong Chan-heon as the first-team bullpen coach. The club has already released a press release on the 7th to announce the retirement of Jung Chan-heon’s career.안전놀이터
Jeong Chan-heon was a top prospect who was drafted by the LG Twins as the first overall pick in the second draft of the 2008 LG Twins. As the third LG pitcher in the opening game of the 2008 season, which was his debut game, he garnered attention by pitching four scoreless innings against the SK Wyverns (current SSG Landers), the defending champion.
Since then, Chung’s baseball life has not been smooth. He has suffered from injuries since 2009, his second year. He underwent surgery to remove bone fragments in his elbow in 2010, and cervical surgery due to osteomyelosis in 2016 and 2019. Although he recorded 27 saves as the closing pitcher in 2018, he was unable to continue his duties as a bullpen pitcher due to difficulties in consecutive pitching due to back injury.
Jung Chan-heon did not give up even though his back was difficult to cure. In 2020, he contributed to the team by switching to a starting pitcher who can stand on the mound after taking a sufficient rest. He also took the mound in 31 games in the 2021 and 2021 seasons after moving to Kiwoom. He had a back surgery for the third time in November last year and spent another long rehabilitation period, but made a comeback by returning to the game against Lotte Giants on June 13 this year. He pitched in 407 games (based on the first team), leaving 50 wins (63 losses), 46 saves, and 28 holds.
“I had expectations that I would be able to pitch better because I underwent surgery last year, and I actually confirmed my potential in practice. However, I failed to show competitiveness at a time when I needed to give more chances to young pitchers, and the team offered me a coaching offer. Above all, I didn’t want to show my family that I would get surgery again,” Jeong said, explaining why he decided to retire.
The records that Chung left are not particularly special. However, he overcame physical and mental challenges he experienced while on the operating table several times and gave an example to his juniors with the grit and mental strength to stand up like a duck.
Looking back on the past 17 years, Jung Chan-heon also smiled and said, “I have had surgery eight times, including back and elbow. I haven’t written a milestone or decorated a page that will go down in history, but I think I have shown how I never gave up going back to the mound after several surgeries. I want to give meaning to him for playing the role of breadwinner of the family.”
Jung Chan-heon was the representative mood maker of the dugout selected by Kiwoom’s young pitchers. Unlike the impression of being taciturn, he was a senior whom juniors could approach without hesitation.
“Coach Jung Chan-heon plans to learn more than when he was a player and get closer to younger players. I think it’s too early to express my commitment to become a leader,” Jung said. “The first thing to do is to learn a lot from someone who has a good influence based on what senior coaches say and how they teach.” “I came all the way here with the help of many senior players even when I was a player. I will become a coach who gives me strong support from the side and the back,” he said.
Finally, he expressed his gratitude to his family, especially his wife, who gave him the greatest strength over the past 16 years. During his career, he suffered mental pain due to unintended misunderstanding as well as sexual pressure and injury. “The driving force that forced him to work out harder is the family he sees from the side,” Chung said. “What I did best was marry my wife. Now I want my wife to enjoy baseball more comfortably.”