Catcher Kim Tae-gun (34), who used to play for Samsung, conveyed his impressions of opening a new nest at KIA through a trade.
On the 5th, KIA traded infielder Ryu Ji-hyeok (29) to Samsung for Kim Tae-gun. Expectations are high that it will be a ‘win-win trade’ that complements each other’s shortcomings.
It is a welcome thing for KIA, which desperately needed reinforcement of catchers. KIA coach Kim Jong-guk said of Kim Tae-gun, “He is a player with a lot of experience. Our catchers lack experience, but we expect him to fill that part.” . He continued, “He shows stable contact even when hitting. In his 20s, his accuracy declined, but he improved in his 30s,” expressing satisfaction.
Kim Tae-gun, a native of Busan High School, was nominated by LG as the 17th pick in the 2nd 3rd round of the 2008 rookie draft, and after going through NC and Samsung, he joined KIA through this trade. He played in 1230 games over 15 seasons in his career, hitting 2.4 8 Lee (681 hits in 2749 at-bats), 25 homers, 279 RBIs and 250 runs. He appeared in 49 games this season and is batting 2.5 6 Lee (32-for-125) with 1 home run, 18 RBIs and 7 runs scored.
Kim Tae-goon, who had played against Doosan in Pohang the previous day (4th) as a member of Samsung, immediately headed to Incheon SSG Landers Field, where SSG and away match were held, immediately after the announcement of the trade. He departed by train at 2:00 pm and arrived at the stadium at around 5:30 pm, waiting for his first game at KIA on the bench.
Junsu Han, who played as the starting catcher that day, kept the home until the end of the 7th inning, and Tae-goon Kim wore a catcher mask from the end of the 8th inning. In the top of the ninth inning, he made his first at-bat and recorded a sacrifice fly, reporting the first RBI for KIA. KIA won 17 to 3 against SSG.
After the game, Kim Tae-goon revealed his feelings about the trade. He said, “I just didn’t seem crazy. I wondered if it was really a trade,” he said, “I don’t even know how the day went because the distance was too far.”
Regarding Ryu Ji-hyeok, who exchanged uniforms, he said, “I heard he played a good role at KIA.” He continued, “The position is different, but I think there is a role I can play,” and promised, “I will prepare well so that I can integrate well into the team.” 안전놀이터
How did KIA feel to Kim Tae-goon until now? Kim Tae-gun said, “First of all, the enthusiastic support of the fans left an impression. It seems that they sent passionate support regardless of home and away.”
On this day, when Kim Tae-gun entered the plate for the first time, the KIA fans burst into enthusiastic cheers. In response, Kim Tae-goon said, “It was a really different feeling,” and “Thank you to the fans who supported me.”
Lastly, Kim Tae-goon expressed his strong determination wearing a new uniform. He raised his voice, saying, “There were many evaluations that the catcher position was weak, but I will do my best not to receive such evaluation in the future.”