By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Aug. 21 (Yonhap) -- The SSG Landers announced Friday they have invited their former All-Star slugger Jamie Romak for a pregame ceremony next week.

The Landers said Romak, the longest-serving foreign hitter in franchise history, will bring his family for his first trip to the club's home city of Incheon, just west of Seoul, since his retirement in 2021. The Landers said Romak will sign autographs for fans at Incheon SSG Landers Field, and he and his family will throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

The former Canadian slugger played for the Incheon-based club from 2017 to 2021, with the team called the SK Wyverns under different ownership during his first four campaigns. He launched 155 home runs and drove in 409 runs in 626 games. Those 155 dingers are the most by a foreign hitter in Wyverns/Landers history and also the fourth-highest total by a foreign player ever in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).

Romak helped the Wyverns win the 2018 Korean Series title, finishing second in the regular season with 43 home runs and then adding four more long balls in 11 postseason games.

Romak's No. 27 has been worn by every foreign hitter for the Landers since his departure.

Romak, 40, was a popular teammate who quickly immersed himself in Korean clubhouse culture. An active part of the community in Incheon, Romak was also the top vote getter for the 2019 KBO All-Star Game.

Romak received the 2020 Tip O'Neill Award as the top Canadian baseball player of the year. Since the award's inception in 1984, Romak remains the only player to be honored while playing outside North America.

jeeho@yna.co.kr

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