Veteran catcher Lee Ji-young had a lot of heartache this winter. Although Lee became a free agent, he failed to negotiate properly with Kiwoom, his original team, and did not receive much attention in the transfer market. Earlier this month, Lee inquired about teams that could sign and trade in person.
Meanwhile, he and FA catcher Kim Min-sik set up a negotiation table with SSG, which had been sluggish in negotiations. “I started playing baseball in Incheon and I want to end my career in Incheon. I will do anything for my team,” SSG responded to Lee’s comment. Lee Ji-young graduated from Seohwa Elementary School, Shinheung Middle School, and Jemulpo High School.
SSG brought in Lee Ji-young, who signed a two-year contract with Kiwoom for a total of 400 million won on the 12th. Instead of accepting him, the conditions he offered were 250 million won in cash and the right to appoint the third round of the 2025 rookie draft.헤라카지노주소
At the SSG 2024 season’s launching ceremony and fan festival held at Songdo Convensia in Incheon on Monday, Lee showed off his hands and applause. “I’m Lee Ji-young, SSG’s new catcher,” Lee said on the stage.
“After graduating from high school, I had no relationship with Incheon,” Lee told reporters after the event. “I was tested to join SK (now SSG) when I was in college, but I failed. I never thought that I would play baseball in Incheon,” Lee said. “I’m afraid to play for a new team. However, I’m excited to finish where I first started.”
Lee Ji-young is a veteran catcher who even went through mid-air battles. After joining Samsung as a training player in 2008, Lee is often mentioned as a success model, if not a myth. While playing for Samsung until 2018, Lee helped build the Samsung dynasty, and was traded to Kiwoom at the end of the 2018 season, where he became the team’s main catcher. He was also selected for the World Baseball Classic national baseball team in 2023.
Lee Ji-young faced off against SSG in the Korean Series when she was playing for Kiwoom in 2022. Now, she has to work with pitchers who have become comrades rather than enemies. “We used to be opponents but SSG has a lot of good pitchers,” Lee said. “We have a lot of good pitchers in SSG. We have a lot of expectations. We will approach pitchers first and try to build a comfortable relationship. I want to instill confidence in the ball,” Lee said.
She also changed her uniform number, which she used for a long time. Lee, who used the uniform number 56 for Samsung and Kiwoom, is running under the number 59 this year. “In SSG, (former) Uisan was using that number, and I think he has an attachment,” Lee said. “I changed the number to join a new team anyway and play with a new mindset.”
When asked about her goals for the new season, Lee said, “I have no personal goals at all. I just want to help my team win the championship. Players are happiest and most enjoyable when they run a lot. My biggest goal is to play many innings.”