"The 1552nd day at the Kia Tigers was a very special and precious time for me. I will always cherish the warm hearts of the KIA fans and the club."
Jang Hyun-sik, who left the affectionate KIA for the LG Twins, left his final greetings to Tigers fans.
Jang Hyun-sik conveyed his true feelings to KIA fans through a letter posted on his SNS on the 13th.
Jang Hyun-sik, who has been wearing KIA's uniform since 2020 after being called by the NC Dinos as the 9th overall player in the first round in 2013, is a right-hander who is strong in heavy fastballs and sharp sliders. In 437 games (592 innings), he has written 32 wins, 36 losses, seven saves, 91 holds, and an ERA of 4.91.
Jang, in particular, emerged as one of the league's top bullpen pitchers when he was active at Kia. In 2021, he played in 69 games (76.2 innings), acquiring 34 holds along with one win, five losses and one save with an ERA of 3.29. This year, he played in 75 games (75.1 innings), recording five wins, four losses and 16 holds with an ERA of 3.94, driving Kia to win the title overall.
Since then, Jang Hyun-sik, who came to the free agent market, has been wearing LG's pin stripe uniform on the condition of a total of 5.2 billion won (1.6 billion won in down payment and 3.6 billion won in annual salary) for four years, and gave his last greeting to KIA fans on the same day.
Jang Hyun-sik, who first said, "I feel sorry that this letter to KIA fans became the first and the last," said, "The 1552 days I was at KIA were a very special and precious time for me. Since childhood, I have only dreamed of becoming a baseball player, and I have achieved that dream, but I lacked as a capable player. Four summers ago, when I had such difficulties, KIA gave me an opportunity to realize my dream of becoming a baseball player once again. For me, who was only ahead of me in the unfamiliarity, the cheers and warm smiles of the Tigers family gave me great courage to start again."
He added, "Actually, I'm not a born baseball player. That's why I always need a lot of training and practice. There were often moments when I wanted to give up because I didn't produce as good a result as I tried, but every time, the love, interest, and support of the Tigers fans were the reason that raised me. Thanks to that support, the team has grown into a player who can play whenever necessary, and I was able to be with him until the glorious moment of the 2024 integrated championship." 스포츠토토
Jang Hyun-sik continued, "Now, I can no longer go to the mound with support from KIA fans, but I will always keep the warm hearts of KIA fans and the club with gratitude."
Finally, he said, "I sincerely thank the LG team for sending me faith and giving me a chance. As much as you have sent me trust, I will show the best to the Twins fans," and concluded, "I hope everyone has a happy and warm end of the year."