“When I won the championship by beating Doosan, I thought I would never come back… .”
The Doosan Bears are somewhat awkward with the title of big hand in the free agent market. However, ahead of the 2023 season, their wallets were properly opened, and they took a huge amount of 15.2 billion won to hold Yang Eui-ji, the ‘dynasty catcher’, back in their arms.
At the moment Yang Eui-ji and Doosan parted after the 2018 season, who could have predicted a reunion? However, Yang Eui-ji expressed his deep affection by talking about his longing for his parents.
Yang Eui-ji said, “Since the beginning of 2021, several players who have been together at Doosan have said that it would be nice to play baseball together once again when they become free agents. I am so happy that the story became a reality. My old colleagues want and welcome me so much that I have a heart that I have to work harder for them.”
Also, “I remember seeing a lot of Doosan benches when I was in NC. It seems that there was a longing for every moment. The win after the transfer was also against Doosan, and I, who cries a lot, intensified my emotions and shed tears again. That’s why I thought I wouldn’t be able to return to Doosan (laughs). Still, fans sent messages saying they wanted to come back, and when they were at the hotel, they came and talked. Thanks to you, it gave me strength. So I was able to come back.”
During the four years since leaving Doosan, Yang Eui-ji felt many changes. As his comrades became enemies, he experienced many things. He said, “It was a very burdensome opponent. He hit a lot of home runs and had good defense, so it was tricky.” However, I think Doosan is a team that can rebound at any time. This year, I will try to work hard with my colleagues to finish well.” 메이저사이트
He said, “I looked a lot less confident than before, but I want to give my all to my juniors even more than that. My role is to work together with the players I played with four years ago to help Doosan become a strong team again. Also, isn’t director Lee Seung-yeop there? Looking forward to the 2023 season. Rather than worrying, I just want to show it to the fans at the baseball field quickly.”
Due to the joining of new coach Lee Seung-yeop and Yang Eui-ji, Doosan can expect a rebound in the new year. Of course, it is difficult to expect 100% performance like the previous dynasty, but the appearance of big names is expected to bring more positive effects than negative ones. In particular, if there is the best catcher in Korea like Yang Eui-ji, the invisible plus effect cannot be calculated.
Yang Eui-ji said, “The goal every year is to win. He personally hasn’t played fall baseball in the past two years. I will do my best to go up to the Korean series as well as fall baseball for the rest of the time.”