Jang Hyun-sik (29), who signed an FA contract with the LG Twins, said goodbye to his original team KIA Tigers fans.메이저놀이터
Jang Hyun-sik signed an FA contract with LG on the 11th. It is a four-year total of 5.2 billion won. LG promised Jang Hyun-sik a down payment of 1.6 billion won and a total annual salary of 3.6 billion won. LG, which desperately needed to strengthen the bullpen, decided not to include an option clause to hold Jang Hyun-sik. LG said, "Jang Hyun-sik is an intermediate pitching with proven pitching and control. It will greatly help our club run the bullpen pitcher team," expressing expectations for Jang Hyun-sik.
Jang has faced another turning point in his baseball career. A graduate of Seoul High School, Jang joined the NC Dinos as the ninth overall pick in the first round of the 2013 rookie draft. He joined Kia through a trade in 2020. He recorded 34 holds in the 2021 season to win the title of "Hold King." In this season, he played 75 ⅓ innings in 75 games and recorded five wins, four losses and 16 holds with an ERA of 3.94. He contributed to Kia's overall win.
When Jang Hyun-sik came out in the FA market, multiple clubs that wanted to reinforce the bullpen jumped into the recruitment race. Jang Hyun-sik's value was inevitably rising. LG took out a full guarantee card of 5.2 billion won to capture Jang Hyun-sik's heart. Jang Hyun-sik also decided to transfer to LG's special treatment.
Jang Hyun-sik, who moved from Kia to LG, expressed his feelings through SNS. First, Jang said goodbye to Kia fans. "I feel sorry that this letter to the Kia Tigers fans is the first and last one," Jang said.
Then, I looked back on the past days when I was a member of Kia. Jang said, "The 1552 days at the Kia Tigers were a very special and precious time for me. I have always dreamed of becoming a baseball player since I was young. I achieved that dream, but I lacked as a capable player. Four summers ago, when I had difficulties, Kia gave me an opportunity to realize my dream again. The cheers and warm smiles of the Tigers family gave me great courage to start over, as I was ahead of the curve in unfamiliarity."
Jang said, "Actually, as a baseball player, I am not born with the ability. That's why I always need a lot of training and practice. There were often times when I wanted to give up because I didn't produce as good a result as I tried. However, whenever I did, the love, interest, and support of the Tigers fans were the reason why I got up. Thanks to that support, I was able to play as a player who can play whenever I needed him in the team, and I was able to be with him until the glorious moment of the 2024 unified championship." I was able to get back on my feet with the support of KIA fans.
Jang Hyun-sik then delivered a final greeting message to KIA, saying, "Now I will no longer be able to go to the mound with support from KIA Tigers fans, but I will always keep the warm hearts of KIA fans and the club."
"I sincerely thank the LG Twins team for sending me faith and giving me a chance. As much as you have sent me trust, I will try to show the best to the Twins fans," he said.