What if I hear you say don’t get old?”
Doosan Bears veteran shortstop Kim Jae-ho (38) often hears from fans recently, “Please don’t get old.” After graduating from Joongang High School, Jaeho Kim was called a ‘genius shortstop’ when he joined Doosan as the first pick in 2004. In his 20s, he struggled for a long time as a backup because he was blocked by a big wall called Siheon Son, but after leaping to the starting lineup in 2014, he established himself as the representative shortstop who led Doosan’s golden age. He is one of the few left in Doosan, and he is also the driving force behind the c스포츠토토 hampionship in 2015, 2016 and 2019.
However, his last two seasons have not been very good. He had a batting average of 0.212 (92 hits in 434 at-bats), an OPS of 0.565, 45 RBIs, and 49 runs scored in 191 games across 2021 and 2022. As the number of days when he was put into the game as a substitute instead of a starter increased, he made small mistakes that were not like Kim Jae-ho in defense. After signing a 3-year, 2.5 billion won free agent contract with Doosan ahead of the 2021 season, the voices of the fans were not good. There were also fans who remembered Kim Jae-ho in his heyday and cheered, saying, “Please don’t get old.”
Kim Jae-ho said, “It’s a bit embarrassing” when asked not to wear out. He met with reporters at the Blacktown Baseball Stadium in Sydney, Australia on the 6th and said, “In a way, he must have said that because he was sorry. He carefully opened his mouth.
He continued, “When I say that the defense of the team has weakened when there is me and Kyung-min Heo, I feel like, ‘Isn’t it only you who do well and don’t take care of your juniors?’ The defense was at the top, but it came down to the bottom for the first time last year. That’s why my friends only want to participate in the attack and don’t think about the defense. When I was the captain, I was really sensitive when there was a mistake in defense. That’s why the importance of defense is so high. emphasized,” he added.
I hoped that my juniors would grow faster so that they would no longer remember ‘Kim Jae-ho in his heyday’ when the Doosan defense was faltering. Kim Jae-ho said, “The main players should instill the importance of defense in their juniors. Instead of making a mistake and saying, ‘Oh, you can do better next time’, you should practice like a real game. I hope you have that sense of responsibility.”
Kim Jae-ho said he would reflect on himself and change. In this spring camp, when Kim Jae-ho warms up before training, he stands at the forefront and shouts “fighting.” It is one of the ways to keep a promise.