“Eui-ji Yang (36, Doosan Bears) is the only one like this.”
These are the words of Yuji Serizawa, Doosan battery coach (55). Although he is Japanese, he is a coach with strong bones in Korea as he has experienced various clubs such as SK Wyverns (now SSG Landers), Samsung Lions, LG Twins, and Doosan for over 10 years since 2010. He is also the teacher of KIA Tigers head coach Jin Gap-yong (49) and LG Twins battery coach Park Gyeong-wan (51), who were the best catchers in the KBO League during their playing days. Lotte Giants catcher Yoo Kang-nam (31), who received 8 billion won in 4 years in the free agent market this year, also went through his hands.
With Doosan coach Lee Seung-yeop’s call this year, Serizawa coach even got a chance to work with Yang Eui-ji. Yang Eui-ji signed a 4+2 year contract with Doosan for 15.2 billion won ahead of this season, setting a new record for the highest free agent contract. There are opinions that the ransom price is too high for a man in his late 30s, but it is also true that the next catcher has not appeared to bring him down from the top spot in Korea.
Coach Serizawa met with reporters at the Blacktown Baseball Stadium in Sydney, Australia on the 5th and said, “In a way, it is an honor as a coach. Batters originally fight pitchers. But Yang Eui-ji has such a presence that allows batters to fight not only pitchers but also catchers. Yang Eui-ji is the only one like this. I have been with famous catchers such as Jin Gab-yong and Park Gyeong-wan in Korea, but I think Yang Eui-ji is also a top-notch player.”
He added, “A good catcher is a catcher who can win. Being a catcher with a high winning rate is the most important thing. That’s why Yang Eui-ji’s annual salary is high.”
Doosan Pitching Coach Jae-Hoon Jeong once told a story similar to the above. Coach Jung said, “(Yang) Eui-ji has a special feature that doesn’t come out as data. When I was a player, when I matched up with Yang Eui-ji, there was an odd side. I think,” he said.
Coach Lee, who was a ‘national hitter’, also said that when he met Yang Eui-ji as a player, he couldn’t read what he was thinking. Coach Lee said, “I felt that Yang Eui-ji is a smart player who prepares a lot for the opponent team. It was. Now that five years have passed since then (Lee’s retirement season in 2017), I think he will attack his opponent like a fox and like a bear.”
Coach Serizawa gave Yang Eui-ji a task at this spring camp to make him more perfect. He said, “I gave Yang Eui-ji as a task how to frame a low ball. Yoo Kang-nam has a low ball framing rate of 63%, Yang Eui-ji has 50%. The only thing that falls a little is framing. He taught me how to do it and made good results for two years. The only task is to perfect the technique of how to make the ball look like a strike.”
This heart was conveyed intact to Yang Eui-ji. On the 4th, coach Serizawa called Yang Eui-ji and gave him a framing attribute tutor after completing bullpen pitching with ace Raul Alcantara (32). As Yang Eui-ui entered his late 30s, he also passed on the know-how of being able to sit for a long time while conserving his stamina.
Yang Eui-ji also has a strong desire to learn more from coach Serizawa and grow. He said, “Once upon a time, I was a battery coach during the Samsung Dynasty. I try to learn a lot of good things. I am old and have a lot of experience, but there are things I learn from older people and from younger friends. Times are changing, so I have to learn in line with the changing times. ” said
Coach Serizawa believed that as long as Yang Eui-ji was healthy, Doosan, which finished 9th last year, could change into a team that competes for the championship in a year. He said, “Yang Eui-ji played less than 750 innings as a catcher last year. Although he was injured, Yang Eui-ji as the main catcher this year needs to defend more than 850 innings in order for us to compete for the championship. I will try to make a good second catcher (candidates Jang Seung-hyun, Ahn Seung-han, and Park Yoo-yeon) who can lead the game to victory.” 메이저사이트