Samsung Lions pitcher Won Tae-in (25) cheered on Veteran catcher Kang Min-ho (40) in his contract renewal.
Won Tae-in and Kang Min-ho met as managers of the Rising Team and the Veteran Team, respectively, at the "The Generation Match" held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 30th.
In a pregame interview, Won Tae-in said, "This is my first managerial debut. I'm really excited. Thank you for creating this opportunity for me. I spoke with Min-ho hyung and we agreed not to play it just for fun but to do our best to put on an exciting game."
Kang Min-ho said, "Today we'll drop the variety show style and do it like a documentary. It's also important not to get injured. The Rising Team has many players who went to the national team and the vigor of youth, but we'll try to win with the Veterans' experience," expressing his determination for the game.
Kang Min-ho, who has played 2,496 KBO League games with a batting average of .277 (8,032 at-bats, 2,222 hits), 350 home runs, 1,313 RBIs, 1,006 runs and 34 steals with an OPS of .814, is one of the best catchers in Korean professional baseball. Now 40, he still showed his skills this year, hitting .269 in 127 games (412 at-bats, 111 hits) with 12 home runs, 71 RBIs, 37 runs, 2 steals and an OPS of .753.
After the season ended, Kang Min-ho became eligible for free agency and became the first player in KBO League history to earn his fourth career free-agent qualification. He entered the market as a C-grade free agent, but it is known that he is negotiating re-signing with Samsung as a priority.
Kang Min-ho emphasized that re-signing with Samsung was likely, saying, "Samsung asked me to wait a bit. So I'm thinking positively and waiting. Rather than saying negotiations are stalled, it's better to view it as me waiting positively."
After Kang Min-ho entered the free agent market, Samsung strengthened its catching corps by acquiring Jang Seung-hyun and Park Se-hyuk through the second draft and trades. Samsung's moves could be seen as preparing for Kang Min-ho's absence. But Kang Min-ho explained, "When I became a free agent for the third time, Kim Tae-goon and Kim Jae-sung came to Samsung. The second catcher is always something the club has to consider. The club naturally prepares for the future, so I don't worry about it much."
Watching Kang Min-ho's interview, Won Tae-in said, "Our team can't function without Min-ho hyung. I hope the president secures Min-ho hyung," and laughed, "Samsung can do without Won Tae-in, but it can't do without Kang Min-ho."
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