Why did director Lee Seung-yeop say sorry to the 39-year-old shortstop

Jul 09, 2024

In the first game of a doubleheader between KT and Doosan at Jamsil Baseball Stadium on the 12th, Doosan's Kim Jae-ho hits an RBI timely hit in the bottom of the fifth inning with one out and runners on third base. Jamsil= Reporter Huh Sang-wook's wook@sportschosun.com/

"It's not like my career is going to be long...."

Doosan Bears excluded Kim Jae-ho (39) from the first-team entry on the 7th. Kim Jae-ho had a batting average of .25 in 29 games this season.

Kim Jae-ho, who joined the team as the first designated player in 2004, was called the "genius shortstop" and took over Doosan's main shortstop position for a long time, showing extraordinary defense and steady offensive ability. There was also a story that 'aging curve' came while staying in the early .200 batting average in 2021 and 2022, but it was completely revived with a .283 batting average and three home runs in 91 games last year.

Ahead of this season, there was a pain in the salary negotiation process with Doosan, but it was recognized for its value by stamping it for 300 million won.

Kim Jae-ho, who was not included in the opening entry, made the first team on May 2. In June, he played in 16 games as a substitute, mainly as a substitute. As the travel time decreased, it was not easy to maintain the sense of the game, and he was eventually excluded from the first-team entry.

Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop said on Kim Jae-ho's cancellation on the 8th, `I don't have a chance to go out. There are three in the same position: (Kim), Jae-ho, (Lee) Yoo-chan, and (Former) Min-jae. There was no way to turn the three around. I thought about how to coexist until the first half of the year, but I made an inevitable choice because time went by and opportunities kept decreasing."

This season, Doosan's shortstop position was Kim Jae-ho, Park Joon-young, Jeon Min-jae, and Lee Yoo-chan. Basically, they all have good defense. While Park Joon-young left for a while due to injury, Doosan did not show a big gap in its shortstop position, showing compliance with offense with 295 percent for Lee Yoo-chan and 27 percent for Jeon Min-jae.

Doosan won the game between Doosan and KIA at Gwangju KIA Champions Field on the 17th with an 8-3 victory. Heo Kyung-min and Kim Jae-ho share their joy with director Lee Seung-yeop. Gwangju = Reporter's book@sportschosun.com/2023.09.17/

Coach Lee also had a brilliant active career, and he remembered finishing by watching his junior's growth little by little, so he understood the regret that Kim Jae-ho would feel better than anyone else.

Director Lee said, `I don't know how things will change if I'm preparing well, so I'd like you to prepare for me.' `I'm very sorry to the veteran. It's not that his career is left for a long time. I'm sorry I couldn't give you a chance even though every day must be precious. However, given our team's situation, I think it's right to go down and prepare.'

KIA-Doosan match held at Jamsil Stadium on the 8th. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Lee Yoo-chan, with no outs, is cheering after hitting an RBI timely hit. Jamsil = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.6.8/

On the other hand, he smiled at the growth of the young player filling Kim Jae-ho's place. Director Lee said, "(Kim) Jae-ho kept his position for a long time, and (Park) Joon-young came from NC, and Min-jae and Yoo-chan are performing better than last year. If the players failed to grow like last year, of course, Jae-ho should go out a lot. However, Min-jae Yoo-chan did well, and ultimately Jun-young has to grow into a shortstop. Unlike last year, young players have grown a lot."

bellstop@sportschosun.com

Why did director Lee Seung-yeop say sorry to the 39-year-old shortstop

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