Oh Seung-hwan (41) himself was a franchise star and one-club man who played 13 seasons for only one Samsung Lions team in the KBO League. Knowing what it means to leave the team like that, he had to pick up his cell phone due to the sudden transfer of his friend Kim Kang-min (41, Hanwha Eagles), who was born in 1982. 안전놀이터
After receiving the Record of the Year award at the 2023 Professional Baseball Sports Seoul Awards on Wednesday, Oh said, “I think Kim Kang-min must have been very embarrassed. I’m sure he’ll do a good job even when he gets to Hanwha, and he’s fully capable of doing that.”
Since the second draft resumed in four years on March 22, the baseball community has been heated up with stories of SSG. SSG excluded several veterans from the list of 35 protected players due to generational change, and named Kim Kang-min, one of them, in the fourth round. Everything from the decision to exclude Kim from the protected player to send Kim Kang-min to the Hanwha Eagles was not smooth. SSG overlooked the fact that Kim Kang-min, who was discussing retirement, had strong will to extend his mandatory military service, and furthermore, it continued to misstep, failing to believe that other teams were aiming for him.
In the end, Kim Kang-min chose to extend his active duty on the 24th after earnest persuasion by Hanwha. While leaving, he told the fans of Incheon Baseball and SSG, “Dear fans, I was very happy while playing baseball as a one-club man for 23 years. I feel sorry that I’m leaving only because I’m indebted to you. I’m trying to show my strength again in the new team by preserving the unconditional love and precious memories you sent me. Thank you so much.” He made the fans’ hearts ache even more by leaving a direct message.
