Two 38-year-old veterans of the Korean Baseball Organization, NC Park Seok-min and Doosan Jang Won-jun, have announced their retirement from active play. They debuted side-by-side in 2004 and have been in the game for 20 years. They've won the Korean Series and set some impressive personal records. Still, it was a disappointment.
NC and Doosan faced each other in the wild-card game, but neither made the roster. The weight of time has taken its toll.
Starting on May 23 against Samsung, Jang Won-jun made 11 appearances this season, going 3-5 with a 5.27 ERA. He became the sixth player in KBO history to reach 130 career wins. He pitched 4.1 innings in the final game of the season to reach 2,000 career innings. That's ninth all-time.
However, his final appearance in the final game of the season made it a foregone conclusion that he would be eliminated from the wild-card game.
Park's final season ended a little earlier. He did not appear in a first-team game after the July 25 game against KIA. There were no more appearances in the Futures League. 안전토토사이트
After the controversy surrounding the COVID-19 quarantine violation wave, Park prepared for this year as a year of pride. He decided to extend his contract at a salary of 50 million won, a cut of 650 million won from last year.
He turned down every interview request from reporters. "I want to show a solid performance and then talk," he said. Although his motivation was strong, he couldn't avoid aging. He was still motivated, but he couldn't avoid aging. His retirement was already predicted during the season. He played 30 games this season and batted .193.
He turned down every interview request from reporters. "I want to show a solid performance and then talk," he said. Although his motivation was strong, he couldn't avoid aging. He was still motivated, but he couldn't avoid aging. His retirement was already predicted during the season. He played 30 games this season and batted .193.
"I would like to thank everyone who helped me play professional baseball for 20 years," Park said through the club. He thanked baseball fans and his family, including NC and Samsung. Park won six Korean Series titles, including five with his debut team, Samsung, and one with NC, which he joined as a free agent. In his 18-season career, Park played in 1697 games, batting .287 with 269 home runs and 1041 RBIs. He had a career on-base percentage of 0.402.
"It's a great feeling to fulfill the last goals I set for myself," Jang said. "When I think of my juniors, my steps don't slow down," he said, "and it's all thanks to Team Bears that I was able to leave with applause at the end."
After making his debut with Lotte, Jang Won-jun joined Doosan as a free agent before the 2015 season. Since his arrival, Doosan has reached the Korean Series for seven consecutive years and won the title three times.=
After making his debut with Lotte, Jang Won-jun joined Doosan as a free agent before the 2015 season. Since his arrival, Doosan has reached the Korean Series for seven consecutive years and won the title three times.=
The future of SSG's Choo Shin-soo and Kim Kang-min, who were both disappointing in the fall stage, is also in the spotlight. Both born in 1982, they are now the oldest players in the KBO.
Kim, last year's Korean Series MVP, had only two at-bats in the semifinals, both as a pinch-hitter. Choo Shin-soo pinch-hit in Game 1 and started in Games 2 and 3, going 3-for-9 with three RBIs, but retired on a three-pitch walk in his final at-bat in the eighth inning of Game 3.
Kim, last year's Korean Series MVP, had only two at-bats in the semifinals, both as a pinch-hitter. Choo Shin-soo pinch-hit in Game 1 and started in Games 2 and 3, going 3-for-9 with three RBIs, but retired on a three-pitch walk in his final at-bat in the eighth inning of Game 3.