“They supported me, so I should support my teammates until the end.”
Kiwoom Heroes안전놀이터 Lee Jeong-hoo (25) personally said goodbye to the fans as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the 8th inning against the Samsung Lions, the team’s final home game of the season, held at Gocheok Sky Dome on the 10th. He will challenge the major leagues through a posting system (private competitive bidding) after the end of this season, and will not be seen on the domestic stage for the time being.
Lee Jeong-hoo underwent surgery on his left ankle at the end of July and devoted himself to rehabilitation for nearly three months. At the time, there was talk that he was virtually out for the season, but he sped up his rehabilitation in order to say a final goodbye to his home fans. It was the last meeting with fans who were so important to Lee Jung-hoo.
But it didn’t end here. Lee Jeong-hoo accompanied Kiwoom on their away trip to Gwangju as soon as they finished the game against Samsung on the 10th. Kiwoom coach Hong Won-ki said before the game against Gwangju KIA Tigers on the 11th, “It seems difficult to make additional appearances with his current physical condition. “However, he tries to completely follow the player’s own opinion,” he said, hinting at the possibility of Lee Jeong-hoo participating.
Lee Jeong-hoo said ahead of the KIA game on this day, “There is still a rehabilitation schedule (in the first team) remaining. He also said, “Since my teammates cheered me on in my final home game, I decided to accompany them because I wanted to cheer them on until the end.” Regarding additional participation, he said, “Unfortunately, my physical condition is such that I can no longer participate in actual matches. I was really lucky to hit the ball with the bat in the game on the 10th. “I had a very strong desire to hit, but I wanted to hit the ball no matter what,” he said.
The major league challenge, which seemed vague until the beginning of the season, is getting closer and closer to reality. From now on, the interest of major league clubs can be directly related to contracts. In fact, San Francisco Giants general manager Pete Putilla (34) personally visited the Gocheok Samsung game on the 10th and watched Lee Jung-hoo’s return game. San Francisco is a team with weak outfield depth, with 11 players playing center field this season. Interest in Lee Jeong-hoo is bound to be high.
Regarding this, Lee Jeong-hoo said, “There is nothing I have to do regarding the contract, right? I believe the agent will handle the contract well. “If I build my body well and maintain good condition, I think there will be good news,” he said.
He revealed that he has no plans yet to go to the United States early. Lee Jeong-hoo said, “Once I sign the contract, I think I will make a schedule after that. Until then, we will spend the off-season the same as the previous year,” he explained.