Special New Year wishes from five professional baseball Snake stars… ‘I waited for this year’

KIA Na Seong-beom’s wish is his third championship ring… In the end, Haeyoung Jeong is ‘Blonsave 0’

Samsung Kim Ji-chan “I want to laugh at the end”… KT So Hyun-Jun “I will compete full-time”

Hanwha Choi Jae-hoon, who took advantage of the winter sea, said, “I will definitely advance to fall baseball this year.”

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Kyung-yoon = 2025 is the year of the Blue Snake.

In professional baseball, there are many players who promise to shed their skin like a snake and take a new leap forward.

In particular, the determination of the ‘Snake players’ born in 1989 and 2001 is extraordinary.

Five Snake players – Na Seong-beom (KIA Tigers), Choi Jae-hoon (Hanwha Eagles), Jeong Hae-young (KIA), Kim Ji-chan (Samsung Lions), and So Hyeong-jun (KT Wiz) – shared their unique New Year wishes and goals through a recent interview with Yonhap News.

They agreed that they would make 2025 their year by receiving the energy of the blue snake, a symbol of new beginnings.

◇ Defending champion captain Na Seong-beom says, “My wish for the new year is a third championship ring.”

This is the second time since his professional debut that Na Seong-beom celebrates the Year of the Snake.

He debuted in the first team of professional baseball wearing the NC Dinos uniform in 2013, the Year of the Lion.

In 2025, 12 years later, Na Seong-beom, who was the star player of the youngest club, challenges to win the championship for two consecutive years as the leader of the Tiger Corps.

Na Seong-beom, born on October 3, 1989, expressed his wish for the new year in a phone call with Yonhap News, saying, “I received two championship rings during my career as a player, and I would like to receive a third ring in the 2025 season.”

In addition, he said, “It is important for the team to come together in order to win,” and “In the new season, many new faces, such as (foreign hitters) Patrick Wisdom and Jo Sang-woo, will join, and I will help these guys adapt quickly.”

I did not set any personal goals. However, he said, “In 2024, the team’s junior, Kim Do-young, has shown great performance,” and “I will try to perform at a similar level to Do-young.”

◇ So Hyeong-jun, who returned from injury, “I will not be left out of the starting rotation in the new year.”

Born on September 16, 2001, KT’s native ace So Hyun-jun set his New Year’s goal to ‘play full-time with a healthy body.’

He looked back and said, “I was unable to fulfill my role in 2024 due to the aftermath of surgery,” and then introduced his goal by saying, “The biggest task is to show my old self in 2025. I want to maintain the starting rotation.”

So Hyun-Jun was out for the season after undergoing elbow ligament fusion surgery in May 2023, and only played in 6 games in the 2024 regular season.

So Hyun-jun, who was unable to contribute to the starting rotation for two years in a row, is training hard with 2025 as his comeback year.

He said, “After finishing the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier 12 tournament, I started training right away without resting. I am currently mainly doing strength training, and I am leaving for personal training in mid-January.”

So Hyun-jun plans to focus on individual training in Tottori Prefecture, Japan with his friend of the same age as the Snake, left-handed pitcher Oh Won-seok, who recently joined KT through a trade, and then begin spring camp training.

Hyun Soo-jun said, “I plan to have a lot of conversations with Won-seok,” and added, “If we work together, we can expect a good synergy effect.”

Hyun Soo-Jun, who calmly began preparing for the new season, said, “My current physical condition is better than two years ago, when I had good results,” and pledged, “I will start the new season with confidence.”

◇ Kim Ji-chan, who swallowed his disappointment even in a career-high season, said, “I will laugh at the end.”

Samsung outfielder Kim Ji-chan, born on March 8, 2001, posted the best performance in the 2024 season.

In 135 regular season games, he had a batting average of 0.316, scored 102 runs, and succeeded in stealing 42 bases.

This is his best performance since his professional debut in the 2020 season.

However, Kim Ji-chan said, “It was a year with some regrets,” and “I want to smile at the end in the new year.”

Kim Ji-chan experienced a lot in the 2024 season. He switched from an infielder to an outfielder before the opening season and had trouble adjusting at the beginning of the season.

However, he took over the starting position thanks to his quick feet and wide defensive range.

Kim Ji-chan, who relieved the burden of defense, also achieved the best performance in batting.

The last one was disappointing. Kim Ji-chan had to bow his head in the Korean Series with KIA.

After the Korean Series, even though he was selected for the national team, he did not participate in the Premier 12. It was because of an ankle injury.

Kim Ji-chan said, “Last season, we started the regular season in a hurry due to a sudden change in position,” and added, “This year, as everything is stable, we will move forward with confidence.”

Regarding the condition of the ankle, he said, “We need to focus on managing it until spring camp,” and “I will be able to exercise without any problems during the training camp.”

◇ KIA winning Henggarae pitcher Jeong Hae-young challenges ‘blown save zero’

KIA closing pitcher Jeong Hae-young, who threw the last pitch at the moment of winning the Korean Series, is also a snake zodiac sign.

When asked about her goals for the new year, Jung Hae-young, who was born on August 23, 2001, said, “I made it my goal and challenge to eliminate blown saves rather than the number of saves. I want to perform my role without wavering in the new year.”

Haeyoung Jeong took the lead in winning the 2024 season with 2 wins, 3 losses, 1 hold, 31 saves, and an ERA of 2.49.

He also appeared in three games in the Korean Series against Samsung, clearly blocking the back door.

Haeyoung Jeong is expected to compete fiercely again for the closing position in spring camp.

KIA recruited Cho Sang-woo, former national team closing pitcher, through a trade last month.

Jeong Hae-young said, “The position is decided by the team,” and “I will do my best in the role given to me.”

He went on to say, “(Cho) Sangwoo hyung is a colleague who believes in us and works together rather than compete with us. I will learn a lot from Sangwoo hyung.”

◇ Choi Jae-hoon, who went to the winter sea with Ryu Hyun-jin, said, “I will never create a situation like this again.”

When asked about his wishes for the new year, Choi Jae-hoon, Hanwha’s housewife, born on August 27, 1989, recalled the recent ‘watering in the winter sea’ with his teammates.

He said, “It is important to achieve good individual results in the new year, but advancing to the postseason is even more important,” and added, “I thought about many things while entering the sea.”

On the 11th of last month, Choi Jae-hoon threw himself into the West Sea along with other senior players his age, including Ryu Hyun-jin, Jang Min-jae, and Chae Eun-seong.

This was due to the pledge made at the KBO League opening media day last year.

At the time, Hanwha captain Chae Eun-seong declared, “If we do not advance to the postseason, we will gather senior players and swim in the waters off Taean.”

Hanwha created a sensation by taking the lead at the beginning of the season, but was unable to maintain momentum and finished the season in 8th place.

And Hanwha’s senior players jumped into the sea with determination as they promised.

Choi Jae-hoon recalled, “It was very cold,” and then introduced, “That day, we all resolved together, ‘Let’s never create a situation like this again.’”

In addition, he added, “In the new year, we will continue to think about the winter sea and not relax,” adding, “Everyone is sharpening their teeth, so the 2025 season will definitely be different.”

When asked about his personal goal, he said, “The biggest goal is to lead the pitchers well so that there can be multiple 10-win pitchers. In order to go to fall baseball, the starters must be strong. I will do my best to lay the foundation for that.” did it

The 2025 professional baseball season, which Snake players are targeting, will open on March 22nd.

Players will depart for each team’s spring camp at the end of this month to begin preparations for the new season.

cycle@yna.co.kr

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2025/01/01 06:55 Sent

2024-12-31 21:58:00