38-year-old shortstop Kim Jae-ho “I have to seize the opportunity to play one more year”
Doosan Bears one-club man Kim Jae-ho (38),
who was once called a “genius shortstop,” is back.
Kim Jae-ho
Kim Jae-ho hit a final double with two RBIs in the bottom of the 5th inning against the NC Dinos
held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 19th,
with 2nd out, 2nd and 3rd base.
Thanks to this, Doosan won 4-1 and secured a foothold to get out of the slump (5 wins, 14 losses) after 11 consecutive wins. 바카라사이트
It was a meaningful day for Kim Jae-ho, who is at an age
where he can only think about the end of his active career.
This day marked the 1,700th appearance of Kim Jae-ho after his debut.
KBO League
It is the 41st record in KBO league history.
Kim Jae-ho, who joined Doosan in 2004, has been a back-up infielder
but since 2014 he has been given a chance to start,
in 2015 he received his first Golden Glove.
In 2016, wearing the captain’s armband,
Doosan won the regular season with the most wins (93 wins)
in a single season and achieved two consecutive victories in the Korean Series.
However, as he entered his mid-30s, his skills declined.
He even had a chronic shoulder injury,
so he had a batting average of 0.209 in 89 games in 2021
a batting average of 0.215 in 102 games in 2022.
2021 Season
Ahead of the 2021 season, the second free agent (FA)
contract (3 years, 2.5 billion won) was signed, so it received glare from fans.
Kim Jae-ho did not want to spend this year,
which could be his last season, like the previous two years.
Its Kim Jae-ho, who we met after the game, recalled, “From the end of last year,
I prepared for next year (2023), thinking that it would be the last time.”
However, as Doosan Bears gave Lee Yu-chan and Ahn Jae-seok a chance to play in search of ‘post Kim Jae-ho’, Kim Jae-ho seldom entered the plate.
Kim Jae-ho said, “Of course I understand the manager’s feelings.
Still, it was very difficult for me as a player because I couldn’t play a lot.”
Skills
After all, he is showing off his skills as good as he was in his prime with a batting average of 0.318 (42 hits in 132 at-bats) and 18 RBIs in 55 games this season.
Kim Jae-ho smiled, saying, “I feel very good because the fans say,
‘Now (Kim Jae-ho) is back’” and “I feel happiness that I have not felt while playing baseball these days.”
When asked about his thoughts on extending his active career,
he briefly replied, “If I do my best, the club will decide.”