“Yes, this is KIA Tigers Kim Kon-guk!”
On the other side of the receiver, an indescribable emotion rippled. His voice was full of life. The dream that I had pushed to the back of my heart came to dream again.
On the 11th, the KIA Tigers announced the recruitment of pitcher Kim Geon-guk (35).
It was a long wait. 온라인카지노 When he debuted with the Doosan Bears in 2006, he was a promising prospect who was nominated in the second round. However, after that, he failed to build a remarkable career while going through Goyang Wonders, NC Dinos, KT Wiz, and Lotte Giants.
After being released from Lotte in 2021, he served as an “invincible” player for a year. He was even on the verge of quitting baseball. He could not ignore the responsibility of the head of the household with his wife and children. His chance to go pro was seldom out of reach.
Kim Geon-guk recalled the difficult time, saying, “Because of my age, it was difficult to even get a chance to take the entrance test. He didn’t call me, and when I contacted him, he was rejected.”
The joining test with KIA was also conducted twice, in November and January. As long as there was a gap for his year, I wanted to check his appearance after raising his physical condition. General manager Jang Jeong-seok, second-team coach Son Seung-rak, and scouting team leader Kwon Yoon-min watched his joining test. His fastball speed at the time of his first test was 145km. The KIA club judged that it was ‘possible’.
“The general manager said, ‘Why do you want to play baseball without starting a business at such a late age?’ It seems to work.”
An amateur baseball tournament that he accidentally appeared in became an opportunity for a reversal. Lee Ji-mo, a senior from Lotte who runs a lesson center, suggested to Kim Kon-guk, who was taking a break last year, “Let’s practice because the ball is good.”
Following this, KBO held a baseball tournament against cities and provinces for the first time last year, in which only former players participated. Kim Kon-guk participated as a Busan representative. It was a tournament that I only started with the heart of “I want to play baseball.” He was also eager to prove himself against an aluminum bat.
Busan, with Kim Geon-guk’s reverse fight, 온라인카지노 won the runner-up. The fastball, which went up to 146km, made the opposing team members boo, saying, “Go to the test immediately. Why are you doing this to us?”
Coincidence turned fate into fate. Agent Songsan, who watched the trial competition, created the opportunity to test the KIA. Preparation period is one week. Regarding his state of mind at the time, Kim Kon-guk expressed, “(Heart) was on fire.” After his release, his well-maintained body was eventually able to wear a professional uniform again.
I plan to keep the amateur leader licenses I earned during my break in a drawer. I can delay the word ‘retirement’ a little longer. Kim Kun-guk did not hide his overwhelming emotion, saying, “The phone and text messages are exploding right now.”
Kim Kon-guk allowed a home run to Nam Tae-hyeok (former SSG Landers), representative of Incheon, in the semi-finals of the match-up match. Kim Kon-guk was unhappy, saying, “A ball that can never hit a home run with a wooden bat.” But now it has become a pleasant memory.
“I have to call Nam Tae-hyuk. ‘He’s still alive. Hitting a home run against a pro!'”