“I thought when the moment of fulfilling my duties as a senior would come, and that was today (the 18th). I feel good.”
Doosan Bears veteran shortstop Kim Jae-ho (38) smiled after scoring the winning run. Doosan won 2-0 in the first game of the season between Hanwha Eagles and the team of the ‘2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League’ held at Daejeon Hanwha Life Insurance Eagles Park on the 18th.
The two teams faced off 0-0 until the 8th inning. It was the aftermath of a breathtaking pitching battle between Doosan starting pitcher Choi Won-joon and Hanwha starting pitcher Moon Dong-ju. Choi Won-joon gave 105 pitches, 1 hit, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts and no runs in 7 innings, and Moon Dong-joo had 98 pitches, 2 hits, 4 runs, 8 strikeouts and no runs in 5⅔ innings.
Kim Jae-ho came out as a solution. After one out in the top of the ninth inning, Song Seung-hwan walked, Kang Seung-ho hit, and Shin Sung-hyun walked the bases full. The flow was in danger of being cut off as Ahn Jae-seok reached base with a ground ball from the first baseman and became the second runner-up without scoring. Kim Jae-ho calmly waited for the breaking ball even in a situation where the ball count was high, and connected it with 2 RBIs in a timely manner.
After the match, Doosan coach Lee Seung-yeop said, “I want to commend Kim Jae-ho for showing the veteran side at an important moment.”
Kim Jae-ho said, “I thought when the moment would come when I would fulfill my duties as a senior officer, and that was today. I feel good. The goal seems to have worked well.” 메이저사이트
Kim Jae-ho has been spending more time on the bench this season after giving up his starting position to junior Lee Yu-chan. He only played 5 games while playing 13 games of the season until the 17th, and the only starting game was against Jamsil LG on the 14th. He is faithfully doing his job of stepping back from the bench and taking care of his juniors, but it is true that it is not easy to maintain his game sense due to the lack of time on the pitch.
Even if it’s not easy, Kim Jae-ho will do his best to live up to the expectations of the team when he needs it like now. He said, “(Ahn) Jae-seok and (Lee) Yoo-chan are constantly competing, and one of my duties is to give them advice based on experience and boost their confidence. I will do my best,” he said vigorously.