“I’ll make sure coach Lee Seung-yup hears the cheers next year.”
Yang Yang-ji (36-Dusan Bears) was named the best catcher in KBO history at the 2023 Golden Glove (GG) ceremony on Nov. 11. He batted .305 with 17 home runs and 68 RBIs this year, with a combined on-base percentage (.396) and slugging percentage (.474) for an OPS of 0.870. He won his eighth career GG (nine total, including as a designated hitter), passing Kim Dong-soo (seven) for the most by a catcher.
He also became the oldest catcher to win the award. Yang, who won the award at the age of 36 years, 6 months and 6 days, surpassed the record of 36 years, 3 months and 22 days set by Kang Min-ho (Samsung Lions) in 2021 by more than three months. With a total of nine GG awards and six consecutive wins, all that remains is to match Lee Seung-yup’s total of 10 awards and seven consecutive wins during his playing days. Individual glory is on the horizon Just last year, after winning the GG, Yang said, “I only need to win it once in the six years of my contract with Doosan to become number one. I’ll try,” he said, revealing his goal of becoming the No. 1 catcher in history.
This year is different. “For the rest of my baseball life, I’ll try to set a good example as a senior and a player to the younger players,” he said after winning the award, adding, “I’ll do my best” to win the next one.
Instead, he wants to restore his pride with the team’s performance. “We will work hard so that coach Lee Seung-yeop (Doosan) can hear the cheers next year,” Yang said of his goals for next year. “This year, LG Twins won the championship, but next year, Doosan will come back with good preparation so that we can win the championship again,” he vowed.
There’s a reason for the cheers. Lee was booed by Doosan fans at a postseason send-off ceremony after the team lost to the SSG Landers in Jamsil on Oct. 16, their last home game of the season. The team finished fifth in the standings, up from ninth last year, but the way they used players during the season drew criticism from fans. In particular, the team lost the final three games for third place, including the 16th game, which was booed.
At the final training session after the season, Lee said, “I admit it. Next year, I will change (the boos) to applause.” However, the impact of the booing incident on both the coach and the team was significant.
“I think the atmosphere was a bit heavy at the time. “Unfortunately, we missed the opportunity (to move up in the rankings), but we still managed to bring the team back to fall baseball from where we were last season (ninth place). Coach did a great job for his first year at the helm. I think it was a successful season.” 월카지노
The fans’ cheers will come with better results. “I think the team will be stronger next year, using this year as a springboard. The coach, players, and front office are all looking forward to it.”