(Seoul = News 1) Reporter Seo Jang-won = Yang Eui-ji (38), who will serve as captain of the professional baseball Doosan Bears in the 2025 season, promised to shake off last season’s disappointment and lead a rebound in the new season.
Yang Eui-ji met with reporters at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 15th and said, “As a captain and a senior, I will show an exemplary performance and lead the team to achieve good results.”
Yang Eui-ji only played professionally at Doosan except for the 2019-2022 season when he played for NC Dinos. While playing for Doosan for 12 seasons, he was never a captain, but this year he took on a key role.
Yang Eui-ji said, “Last year, (Yang) Seok-hwan did a good job, so I didn’t think about it, but when I was offered the captaincy, I decided to do it. Since joining Doosan, I have come to this position by looking at past captains. It is a position that means a lot to me and it is an honor. “I’m sure the young players will feel this when they see me, so I will set an example for them,” he said.
Yang Eui-ji chose ‘creating an atmosphere in which baseball can be played comfortably’ as the most important role as captain. This is in line with what manager Lee Seung-yeop emphasized at the founding ceremony today to make the dugout atmosphere lively.
Yang Eui-ji explained, “A team that is doing well also has a good bench atmosphere. The atmosphere sank a lot at the end of last season, and it was unfortunate that we couldn’t improve it quickly. I’m trying to create a positive atmosphere so that the players can play baseball comfortably.”
Doosan had no external blood transfusions other than off-season trades. Even Heo Gyeong-min (KT Wiz) and Kim Jae-ho (retired), who had solidly protected the infield, left, and their strength was evaluated as weakened.
Yang Eui-ji said, “There is no external reinforcement, but I think we gained a young and strong bullpen through last season. I think we have grown and become stronger. We have the best bullpen among the 10 clubs, so we can achieve good results.” “I plan to pay a lot of attention to the fielders and give them a lot of detailed advice,” he said.
Last season, Yang Eui-ji played 608⅓ innings as a catcher. It was the fewest number of innings pitched except for the 2021 season, when he was unable to play defense due to injury. He wasn’t even nominated for the Golden Globes.
Yang Eui-ji said, “I was very disappointed. I was not able to manage it well, so I am reflecting on it. I prepared well so that I could play in more games this year. I will work hard to play in many games without getting hurt.”
2025-01-15 11:53:00