On the 2nd, when the inaugural ceremony for the Ulsan Whales, Ulsan's first professional baseball team and the KBO's first citizen-owned club, was held, Munsu Baseball Stadium was filled with a festive atmosphere from early morning.
Banners of congratulations fluttered inside and outside the stadium, and rehearsals were in full swing on the field. Excitement announcing the start of a new team's journey filled the ballpark. On the field where rehearsals continued, excitement and tension intersected.
Ulsan Whales will hold its official inaugural ceremony at 3 p.m. at Munsu Baseball Stadium and mark the beginning of its long journey. About 500 guests, including Kim Doo-kyum, mayor of Ulsan, and KBO commissioner Heo Gu-yeon, are expected to attend. Following Mayor Kim Doo-kyum's commemorative address, Kim Cheol-wook, chair of the Ulsan Metropolitan City Sports Council, will deliver the inaugural speech, followed by words of encouragement from Commissioner Heo Gu-yeon.
The inaugural manager is Jang Won-jin, a one-club man from the Doosan Bears. Choi Ki-moon, who served as the battery coach for the 2024 Premier12 national team, was appointed as the head coach and will also oversee the battery department. Pitching coaches Park Myung-hwan and Jeong Jae-bok will be in charge of the starters and the bullpen, respectively, and coaches Kim Dae-ik (hitting), Lim Su-min (defense), Ahn Sang-joon (base running·defense), and Hwang Sun-il (outfield defense·hitting) will be responsible for their respective areas. Trainers Kang Min-chul and Kim Tae-hoon joined the training staff to manage the players' conditioning.
Infielders who previously played for the Kiwoom Heroes, such as Byun Sang-kwon, and pitcher Kim Do-gyu, who played for the Lotte Giants, along with Nam Ho, Jo Je-young (both pitchers), Kim Su-in, and Choi Bo-seong (both infielders), who have experience on the first-team stage, also joined in large numbers. Former Nippon Professional Baseball players Okada Akitake and Kobayashi Jui were also included on the accepted list. Kim Dong-yeop, Gong Min-gyu, and Shim Jae-min are also seeking to join additionally through private tests.
The team plans to train at Munsu Baseball Stadium through the 11th on a schedule of five days of training and one day of rest, then hold its first spring training camp at Jeju's Kang Chang-hak Stadium from the 12th to the 28th to strengthen team cohesion. The players are preparing mentally for their first season wearing the Ulsan Whales uniform.
Ulsan Whales will play its first season in the Futures League southern division alongside the Samsung Lions, KT Wiz, Lotte Giants, and KIA Tigers. The time for Ulsan Whales has now truly begun.
[OSEN]