I made a lot of good friends… .”
For Lotte Giants Ahn Kwon-soo (30), the game against the Doosan Bears on the 11th had great meaning. This is because it was the last home game in the KBO League. He, a Korean in Japan, will return to Japan where his wife and son, who were born last year, are after this season. As Lotte failed to advance to the postseason, there is not much time left to spend with his teammates.
Ahead of the game, Ahn Kwon-soo said, “I started the season with the thought that I could go beyond the postseason and even win the (Korean Series), but I felt sorry because there were many players injured or things didn’t go as I expected.” He added, “I also felt sorry during the season. I feel very sorry for hurting my elbow. “Still, I will play with the determination to show my true self until the end (in the remaining four away games),” he said.
It will soon be time to wrap up four years in Korea. Ahn Kwon-soo is a player who was dramatically drafted in the 10th round (99th rank) of the 2020 rookie draft. After standing out with his quick feet and contact ability, he left his beloved Doosan last year and took on the Lotte uniform. Kwonsu Ahn said, “I was born in Japan and have lived only in Japan,” and added, “Maybe that’s why I was a little scared to come to Korea at first, but looking back, the four years in Korea were a really good experience for me.”안전놀이터
Coincidentally, even the remaining game schedule seemed to be for Ahn Kwon-soo. He said, “I feel like I want to do my best because the opponent in our last home game is Doosan. He also received a lot of love from Lotte fans, and I felt that his passion was truly amazing. “I was able to gain strength thanks to the support,” he said. “I made many good friends in Korea.” I learned a lot from (Kim) Min-seok and (Yoon) Dong-hee, who lived in the dorm with me. “I think I will miss (my friends) when I go to Japan later,” he said.
Ahn Kwon-soo plans to spend about three or four days in Korea before leaving the country after the regular season ends with the Daejeon Hanwha Eagles game on the 16th. He said, “Honestly, I want to continue playing baseball in the future, but I have no intention of playing baseball anymore in Japan,” and added, “I think I will have to think about my future plans after the season is over. I only know one thing (baseball), so I need more time to think. “I plan to discuss it with my family,” he added.