Jang Hyun-sik (29), who signed a free agent (FA) contract with the LG Twins, said goodbye to his former team, KIA Tigers fans.
Jang Hyun-sik said on his personal social media (SNS) on Wednesday, “I feel sorry that this letter to the Kia Tigers fans was the first and last. The 1,552 days I was with the KIA Tigers were a very special and precious time for me.”
Jang Hyun-sik said, “I have always dreamed of being a baseball player since childhood. I achieved that dream, but I lacked as a capable player. Four summers ago, when I had such difficulties, the KIA Tigers gave me a chance to realize my dream of becoming a baseball player once again. The cheers and warm smiles of the Tigers family gave me great courage to start again, as I was just ahead of my fans’ enthusiasm in unfamiliarity.”
Jang Hyun-sik signed a four-year contract with the LG Twins on the 11th for a total of 5.2 billion won (1.6 billion won in down payment and 3.6 billion won in annual salary). LG explained the background of the recruitment, saying, “Jang Hyun-sik is an intermediate pitcher with proven ball power and control,” adding, “He has shown his value well through this season and expects to help our club run the bullpen pitcher team.” 메이저놀이터
Jang, who graduated from Sindoh Elementary School, Seoul Lee Soo-joong and Seoul High School, wore the NC Dinos uniform as the ninth overall pick in the first round of the 2013 rookie draft. The down payment was 150 million won when he joined the team. Jang, who fulfilled his mandatory military service at the National Police Agency, then served as NC’s core bullpen pitcher until the 2019 season. Jang left NC and joined the Kia Tigers through a trade in August 2020. At the time, Kia agreed to a 2:2 trade to acquire Jang and Kim Tae-jin from NC instead of giving up pitchers Moon Kyung-chan and Park Jung-soo to NC. After his transfer, Jang played as a special bullpen for the Tiger Corps.
Jang said, “Actually, I am not born with the ability as a baseball player. That is why I always need a lot of training and practice. There were times when I wanted to give up because I didn’t produce as good a result as I did. However, the love, interest, and support from the Tigers fans were the reason that always inspired me. Thanks to that support, I have grown into a player who can play whenever necessary in the team. I was able to be with him until the glorious moment of winning the combined 2024 title.”
Jang Hyun-sik said, “Now I can no longer go to the mound to be cheered on by KIA Tigers fans, but I will always keep the warm hearts of KIA Tigers fans and the club. And I sincerely thank the LG Twins team for sending me faith and giving me the opportunity. As much as you have sent me your trust, I will do my best to show the best of you to the Twins fans. I hope you all have a happy and warm end of the year.”
In this season, Jang pitched in 75 games, posting five wins, four losses, 16 holds, an ERA of 3.94 and 75 ⅓ innings, with 75 hits, eight homers, 34 walks, 75 strikeouts, 41 runs (33 earned runs) and one blon save WHIP (per-inning allowance) of 1.45 and a 0.260. Based on his stellar performance, he made remarkable contributions to his team’s winning the title. He has played in 437 games during 11 seasons of his professional career, recording 32 wins, 36 losses, seven saves, 91 holds, and an ERA of 4.91 runs. While pitching a total of 592 innings, he posted 523 hits (72 homeruns), 351 runs (323 earned runs) with 520 strikeouts and a ball (323 earned runs) that hit 301 walks.
