Professional baseball player Lee Ji-young (39) of the SSG Landers hit his second home run after achieving his first ever in spring training.
On the 13th, Lee Ji-young started as the sixth batter and catcher in a spring training game against the Kiwoom Heroes at Incheon SSG Landers Field, recording 3 at-bats, 1 hit, 1 home run, 1 RBI, and 1 run.
After being retired in both of his previous at-bats, Lee Ji-young stepped up to bat first in the bottom of the sixth inning with SSG trailing 3-6, hitting a solo home run over the left wall with a fastball pitched at 141 km/h by right-handed pitcher Park Yun-sung. Despite Lee Ji-young's home run, SSG lost 6-7, falling into a four-game losing streak.
On the 8th, Lee Ji-young hit a home run against Choi Won-tae in a spring training game at Daegu Samsung Lions Park. Immediately after hitting the home run, Lee Ji-young appeared slightly bewildered, as the ball barely cleared the fence, and he had never hit a home run in spring training before.
In an interview on the 13th, Lee Ji-young noted, "Honestly, I thought it wouldn't go over. Since I’m originally close with (Choi) Won-tae, I jokingly told him, 'Just throw a fastball. I’ll hit it quickly and then I’m done.' But then a true two-seam came in, and I hit a home run, which surprised me a bit. I think that's why I had that kind of expression. I just thought I had to turn on it and hit it, and it connected well enough to go over. When I was rounding the bases, I felt a bit self-conscious about Won-tae watching me."
Regarding his current physical condition, Lee Ji-young stated, "Last year, I felt alright during spring training as well. This year, I also came prepared, so it seems like it’s going well from the start of spring training. It's my first time hitting a home run in spring training, and I'm glad that I've prepared my body well."
Lee Ji-young, a veteran catcher with a career batting average of .280 (1,053 hits in 3,766 at-bats), 21 home runs, 418 RBIs, 407 runs, 34 stolen bases, and an OPS of .656 over 1,393 games in the KBO League, joined the SSG team through a sign-and-trade in 2024. After being overshadowed by younger catchers while playing for Kiwoom in 2023, managing only 81 games (539 innings), he became a key player for SSG, playing 117 games (914⅔ innings). He also showcased strong hitting, with a batting average of .279 (111 hits in 398 at-bats), 5 home runs, 50 RBIs, 45 runs, 8 stolen bases, and an OPS of .669 across 123 games.
Lee Ji-young remarked, "Last year, I played over 900 innings, and jokingly told the coach that I could play more. In 2022, including the Korean Series, I exceeded 1,000 innings. If possible, I want to play a lot. However, for the team to improve, younger players also need to come up. I want to show them directly on the field while teaching them a lot."
SSG manager Lee Sung-yong will assign Lee Ji-young as the starting catcher again this year. However, in consideration of Lee Ji-young's stamina and the development of the next generation of catchers, Lee's playing time this year will be managed more than last year, providing younger catchers, such as Jo Hyung-woo, Shin Beom-soo, and Lee Yul-ye, with additional opportunities.
Lee Ji-young said, "It’s only natural for a player to want to be on the field. I think it’s expected to be pushed out naturally if skills are lacking. But if my skills are still good, I don’t think I can just give up my spot. I will support and teach the younger players, but I want to go out and show them so they can push me out themselves." He encouraged the growth of younger players, adding, "Last year, our team's record was 6th, but it was a meaningful season for me. I was able to play a lot, so I was actually grateful to the coach."
This year, veterans of the SSG, including Lee Ji-young, Choi Jung, Han Yoo-seom, Oh Tae-gon, Kim Sung-hyun, and Kim Min-sik, will begin season preparations at a futures camp in Kagoshima, Japan, instead of Vero Beach, Florida, where the first spring camp is held. Lee Ji-young reflected on the Kagoshima camp, saying, "Training separately made me work harder. I also felt a strong need to stay healthy. I believe that having fewer players allowed for more training volume. Thanks to that, I was able to prepare my body well."
Lee Ji-young explained why they started season preparations in Japan: "Florida is of course a great place to train, but it's too far and not easy to go in one trip. We have to wait 4 to 6 hours for a transfer, so almost a whole day is spent moving. Honestly, it is tough. Of course, I wish we could all go together, but we've been doing things this way so I think we could prepare better in Japan."
Training with futures players at the Kagoshima camp, Lee Ji-young stated, "When I started as a trainee, the only thing I could show was that I truly worked hard. Watching the futures players, I felt that again after a long time. The younger players are really training hard too. It reminded me of my own trainee days," committing to return to his roots and work even harder.
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