“I got a call from the KIA kids. Why didn’t KIA play it and Samsung played it?”

Samsung Lions infielder Ryu Ji-hyeok (29) smiled as he mentioned the KIA Tigers players who are now his former teammates. On the morning of the 5th, Ryu Ji-hyeok heard that he was being traded to Samsung, so he quickly packed up and moved to Pohang. I didn’t have time to say goodbye to the KIA players I’ve loved for the past three years, so I immediately changed from red to blue.스포츠토토

In fact, KIA is the second team for Ryu Ji-hyeok. His first professional team was the Doosan Bears. After graduating from Chungam High School, he was nominated by Doosan with the 36th pick in the 4th round of the 2012 rookie draft and played until traded to KIA during the 2020 season. Compared to Doosan, it is true that there was much less time to build friendships with KIA colleagues, but the second breakup was not easy either.

Ryu Ji-hyuk said, “I tried it once, but I couldn’t adapt. I thought, ‘Oh, I’ll go again.’ I went because of this, and if you think you’ve adapted, there’s a team you need,” he said, expressing the difficulty of sudden change.

On the day of the trade, Kim Do-young, a junior at KIA, shed tears while talking about Ryu Ji-hyuk in front of reporters. Ryu Ji-hyeok, knowing Kim Do-young’s tears, tried to pass it over calmly and said, “KIA told the kids to play happy baseball. In the future, we will unconditionally get good results and win the championship. We were all doing this together. But because I was traded, I think I have to do it here (Samsung). ‘You guys do it there, I’ll do it here’.”

On the 5th, when he traded, Ryu Ji-hyeok reported his first hit and RBI for Samsung, hitting a direct hit on the right-middle wall and a double at the right time in the bottom of the 8th inning against Pohang Doosan, 2-7, with 2 out and 1 base. He even scored the first run in his transfer when he scored on a timely double from the left field of the next hitter Lee Seong-gyu.

Looking back at his first hit at Samsung, Ryu Ji-hyeok laughed, explaining, “It was the first ball that hit the fence this year. KIA kids also called. Why didn’t KIA hit and Samsung hit?” It was a complaint, not a complaint from former colleagues, that KIA produced such a ball often.

Doosan colleagues three years ago and KIA colleagues this time also voiced regret when they sent Ryu Ji-hyuk away. Even though it is a trade that happens every year, the fact that Ryu Ji-hyeok has such colleagues can be interpreted as meaning that Ryu Ji-hyuk is doing well in the team.

Ryu Ji-hyeok said, “It is important to show your skills on the baseball field, but I think the appearance is also important. I think we should do better in the future,” he said calmly.

Now, Ryu Ji-hyeok plans to make a new relationship at Samsung. Oh Jae-il, who played together at Doosan, and Koo Ja-wook, who worked together as a motive for the youth baseball team, are reliable. Ryu Ji-hyeok will play as first baseman for the time being in place of Oh Jae-il, who left due to a hamstring injury on the 6th, and will play third baseman in the long term.

Ryu Ji-hyeok wants to do his best so that his first son Lee Hyun-yi, who used to be proud of his father as a KIA Tigers player in Gwangju, can now boast that his father is a Samsung Lions player.

Ryu Ji-hyuk said, “I want to play baseball here, which I couldn’t do at KIA. I want to become a comfortable senior while getting closer with my juniors and play baseball that way.” This goes around. I think even a player like me can stand out,” he said, vowing to do his best in the given task depending on the situation.