“We had a lot of trouble together when we were young, but everyone turned out well.”
Yang Eui-ji (36), the hostess of the Doosan Bears, attended the initiation ceremony held at Jamsil Baseball Stadium on the 11th and looked back on memories with the juniors in the catcher team during her rookie days. Kim Jae-hwan (35), Choi Jae-hoon (34, Hanwha Eagles), and Park Se-hyeok (33, NC Dinos), who now play as outfielders at Doosan, are the main characters. The total amount the four players have earned in the free agency market has reached 49.2 billion won. 토토사이트
Yang Eui-ji, the eldest brother, was the only one out of the four players to qualify for free agency twice and hit the jackpot both times. This is because he has consistently maintained the top spot as the best catcher in the league in offense and defense. Yang Eui-ji signed a 4-year, 12.5 billion won contract with NC ahead of the 2019 season, and requalified as a free agent this winter and signed with Doosan for a total of 15.2 billion won over 4+2 years. He earned 27.7 billion won through two free agents, and achieved the highest personal cumulative free agent record.
Kim Jae-hwan changed his position from catcher to outfielder to maximize his offensive advantage and grow into Doosan’s representative number 4 hitter. Ahead of the 2022 season, he obtained the first FA qualification in his life and signed a 4-year contract for 11.5 billion won. Until Yang Eui-ji returned to his parent’s home this year, it was the best FA treatment in the club’s history. He belatedly leaped to the starting lineup from 2016, and has boasted destructive power to the extent of achieving 224 home runs in his personal career even though he uses Jamsil, his most pitcher-friendly, as his home stadium.
Choi Jae-hoon and Park Se-hyuk are the juniors who suffered the most as backup catchers when Yang Eui-ji kept the home until 2018. Choi Jae-hoon moved to Hanwha in a trade in 2017 and grew into a starting catcher earlier than Park Se-hyuk. Inside Hanwha, he solidified his position as an irreplaceable master, and after the 2021 season, he came out to the FA market and received 5.4 billion won for 5 years and stayed with Hanwha.
Park Se-hyeok is Yang Eui-ji’s junior and the most painful finger. Park Se-hyeok qualified for FA for the first time this time, and Yang Eui-ji, the biggest fish, came out to the market together and had to give up his dream of remaining at Doosan. Instead, Park Se-hyuk prepared for a new challenge by signing a 4-year, 4.6 billion won contract with NC, which had missed Yang Eui-ji.
Yang Eui-ji expressed his regret for Park Se-hyuk along with his proud heart while watching his juniors. He said, “(Choi) Jae-hoon, (Park) Se-hyuk, and (Kim) Jae-hwan had a lot of hardships when they were young, but they all went well. went to NC. I was worried because I knew that Sehyuk also had a strong desire to stay at Doosan. So I think he said he was sorry.”
Putting the sorry feelings behind, Yang Eui-ji decided to support Park Se-hyuk’s future more. He said, “Because Sehyuk is young, he said he hoped he would do well in the second free agency. Sehyuk also said, ‘Let’s work hard together,’ so I was able to go happily as an older brother. I also applauded and congratulated him.”