About two weeks ago, Kim Jun-wan, 32, an outfielder who played for the Kiwoom Heroes, announced his retirement. He played two seasons with Kiwoom, but was released after the season. After much deliberation, he announced his retirement on his social media accounts. At the time, Kim Jun-wan said, “I’m going to finish the last 11 years of my professional baseball career. Every day has been a war for me, and I have been trying to survive, but it seems that my efforts have only lasted until today,” which made fans’ hearts sink.

He wasn’t flashy, but he made a statement. It was one of the hopes of the new players. A ‘roller coaster’ baseball life After graduating from Korea University in 2013, he tried to play professionally, but he was not drafted. 안전놀이터 The good news is that the NC Dinos took him on as a developmental player.

Although his start as a developmental player was less than stellar, he quickly established himself in the first team. He made his presence felt with his excellent contact, quick feet, and wide outfield coverage, playing in 122 games in 2016 and 104 games in 2017. In the first round of the 2017 playoffs against the Doosan Bears, with his team trailing 2-4 and runners on second and third in the bottom of the fourth inning, he made a spectacular diving catch of Min Byung-heon’s long fly ball, setting the stage for a come-from-behind win. It was an unforgettable moment.

But his prime was cut short.

His performance in those two seasons allowed him to serve in the military, but there was no room for him in the team, so his presence in the NC faded and he was released after the 2021 season. He also lost his place in Kiwoom’s program to develop younger players.

After announcing his retirement, Kim traveled to Europe. He got married earlier this year and went on a honeymoon, but this was the first time he’d taken time off from baseball. “I had a lot of fun traveling after I decided to retire,” Kim said.

As for his wife, who is still a newlywed and will be sad to see her husband no longer wearing the uniform, he said, “She is very upset, but I comforted her by telling her that there is a wonderful future ahead.”

I wondered why he decided to retire when he was still young and could have gotten calls from other clubs if he had waited.

What helped him decide was a surprise coaching offer. The Sangmu Baseball Team called him up. “I thought that I should be able to make a bold decision even if I was disappointed when I was told that I would have to retire someday and move on to a new dream,” Kim said, adding, “I went to work for the first time today. It’s too early to talk about my intentions as a coach, but when I was playing, the coaches listening to me couldn’t have been better, so I want to be a coach who listens to the players and communicates with them from the heart.”

Finally, Kim Jun-wan said, “As a player, it was hard to have a goal, just to survive and fight every day. There are many flashy star players, but for a team to be strong, 바카라사이트 추천 there must be players who support them. I hope the fans remember me as a player who worked so hard, and I will try my best as a leader for such players.”