“It seems like it’s been a while, but it’s already happened.”
Hanwha pitcher Jung Woo-ram (38), who served as the captain for the longest time in the team. After his debut in SK (now SSG) in 2004, he reached his 20th season before he knew it. In the meantime, for 19 years, he pitched in 952 games, the most ever in the KBO League, and accumulated 197 saves and 137 holds, but looking back, time seems to have passed like an arrow.
Jung Woo-ram, who is participating in Hanwha’s spring camp in Arizona, USA, said, “It doesn’t seem like that, but it’s been 20 years. He should do 25 years if he is in good shape… After laughing, he said, “Now, instead of year after year, I train every day. I am playing baseball while feeling the preciousness of the day.” No player has played 25 years in the KBO League yet. Catcher Park Gyeong-wan from 1991 to 2013 and outfielder Kim Kang-min from 2001 to 2023 hold the record for the most years with 23 years.
When he joined the pros in 2004 at the age of 19, he did not even know that he would be able to play for such a long time. “At that time, there were many veteran seniors in SK, such as Kim Ki-tae, Jo Won-woo, Kim Won-hyung, Cho Woong-cheon, and Kim Min-jae. It was amazing just to train with the seniors I only watched on TV, and I felt that I was lacking any more just watching it. I was young, and I thought a lot about how to survive in this difficult place.” 토토사이트
Jung Woo-ram, who briefly tasted two first-team games in the first year, settled down in the first team as a bullpen pitcher in 2005. He pitched more than 40 games in 15 consecutive seasons from 2005 to 2021, excluding the period of military service from 2013 to 2014. Last year, his streak ended when he appeared in only 23 games due to a shoulder injury, but he is the first pitcher to exceed 1000 games with 952 games, the most ever in the KBO League.
Jeong Woo-ram, who is expected to reach an unprecedented height this year at the earliest, said, “I want to record 1,000 games, but now is the time to focus on the team rather than the individual. I will keep the personal things in my heart. I hope that the season will be a season where the entire team can admit to themselves that they worked really hard at the end of the season. The goal is to create a season that will be remembered when looking back later,” he emphasized.
The willingness to wear the captain’s armband at the highest level can only be done with the team-first spirit. Jung Woo-ram said, “What is the importance of being the best? Whoever it is, it is enough to lead the team well. The manager wants it, and the players want it, so I claim it.” “There are a lot of things to pay attention to as a captain, but seniors like pitcher manager (Lee) Taeyang and fielder manager (Chae) Eun-seong take the lead and create a good atmosphere. there is,” he said.
Personally, I focus on staying healthy. Last year, due to shoulder pain, there was a hiatus of over 100 days in the first team. He hasn’t been out this long since becoming a first-team pitcher. Jung Woo-ram, who rebounded to an ERA of 1.59 by collecting 7 holds in 15 games after returning in September, has three saves to 200 in his career, but “Looking at the future direction of the team, now the juniors have to finish. I don’t want to finish for my record. I had an injury last year and difficulties came all at once, but I thought about that much. I am good at baseball and I will be good at captaining,” he promised.