“It was unintentional,” “It doesn’t mean much.”
For NC Dinos catcher Kim Hyung-jun, 25, 2023 began with despair and ended with hope. Kim underwent ACL surgery in August of 2022, followed by a lengthy rehabilitation, and then tore a ligament in his right ankle in May of last year as he prepared to return. “I was in a daze. I couldn’t think of anything,” Kim said at the time.
But he shrugged it off and bounced back. “I thought, ‘Let it go, it’ll get better over time,'” he says, “I thought it would be stressful if I tried to come back too soon.” He rehabbed and returned to action in late August.
Since then, Kim has won a gold medal as the starting catcher at the Hangzhou Asian Games and started every game of NC’s postseason run, fulfilling his potential and becoming the poster boy for young catchers in the league. 토토사이트 He laid the foundation for his future as a national team regular. Despair became hope.
He overcame a grueling rehabilitation period and dealt with the pressure of international competition and the postseason.
Over the course of a year, Kim amplified his potential and grew even more. During last year’s postseason, Kang said, “I think I’ve gotten a little better at reading hitters through the big games. You can see where I mix my pitches according to the batter’s tendencies throughout the game. I think my eyes were opened after the Asian Games,” he said.
Park Gun-woo, who has been with Yang Ji for a long time and is now watching Kim Hyung-joon, said, “Yang Ji once told me, ‘Look at what Hyung-joon is doing. He’s a different player,'” he said.
Before Kim Hyung-joon, Yang Ji (Doosan) was the national team captain. Kim Hyung-joon had the potential to be called the ‘post-Yangji’. With Yang Ji’s departure from the NC to Doosan, and subsequent retirement from the national team, Kim Hyung-jun was the natural choice to take over. Already dubbed as the ‘heir apparent’, Kim is well on his way to the big time.
After the first game of last year’s wild-card decider, he approached Yang Ji and took the bat from her. During the process, Yang looked at Kim with great respect, hinting at their mutual feelings for each other.
The relationship continues to grow.
Yang wore No. 25 in the NC, but this season, his number was given to Kim. Last year, outfielder Kim Sung-wook wore No. 25, while Kim wore No. 47. However, this year, Yang’s number was given to Kim Hyung-jun. Yang also wears No. 25 for Doosan.
“Since I’m a catcher, I wanted to wear something with the number 2. I couldn’t wear No. 22 because Yong-chan has it, and No. 25 because (Kim) Sung-wook said his brother doesn’t wear it, so I wore No. 25,” Kim said, adding, “I didn’t intentionally wear it because it’s Yangji’s number. I don’t put a lot of importance on the number.” He laughed.
The team also works out together during the off-season. He works out with Yang Ji and Yang Suk-hwan at a training center in Seoul. “We ended up working out at the same center and at the same time by accident,” he explains, meaning that both the jersey numbers and the fact that they work out together are coincidental.
Nevertheless, for Kim, this time is precious and inspiring.
“I feel like I’m motivated to work out with Yang Ji, and I feel like I’m working a little harder. I don’t have a special workout, but Yang Ji works really hard. I’m speechless,” he explained.
He continued, “When we work out together, he talks to me about full-time know-how, body care, and my problems that he felt. We talk about a lot of things other than baseball.”
Kim Hyung-jun, who is on his way to becoming the next national catcher, seems to have a slight edge in the competition for the team’s closer. 사설 토토사이트 Now he just needs to stay injury-free. “I think I did my best last year,” he says of his recent injuries. I think I did my best last year,” he said, trying to shake off the bad memories.
“It’s important not to get injured. “It’s important that you don’t get injured. “I think if I don’t get sick and I’m consistent, I’ll be able to improve myself. It would be nice to have a good record, but I think it’s best if I don’t get sick and don’t miss time.”
