Kangmin Kim, I was a superstar…It's a bit unfortunate. Legend ahead of the retirement ceremony, SSG head coach's honest intentions

Jun 28, 2025

SSG 김강민. Sports Chosun DB

"He's the kind of athlete who shows off the qualities of a superstar when it's crucial."

It's a retirement ceremony for professional baseball legend, although I've never shared a meal. What is the coach Lee Sung-yong's intention, who is in his second year at the helm of the SSG Landers.

Lee met at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 28th, and Kim Kang-min, who watched as a baseball expert rather than a head coach, must have played "20 (homer)-20 (stealing) but remained. Compared to his talent, he said, "I'm a little disappointed in his record."

The two have never played in the same team. During the SK dynasty, he was a Pacific Dolphins-Heroes player-baseball commentator, and when he won the championship again, he watched as a coach and general manager of KT.

Manager Lee Soo-yong explained, `I talked a lot when I was a commentator, and even now, I often come to the manager's office to talk about baseball.'

Then "The nickname 'The beast' suits you well. He said, "A real manly player" and added, "I talked about it myself when I was active, and it's a pity that he doesn't have a performance compared to his skills when he's 20-20."

SSG 김강민. Sports Chosun DB

"He has power, he has strength in his fastball, and he has speed. Subi is a top player in South Korea, and I thought it would be upgraded more in terms of offense, but I couldn't."

However, Kim Kang-min is famous for being a strong player in big games. In particular, in 2018, when SK succeeded in a historic upset against Doosan, which won the regular season by 14 and a half games, Kim Kang-min fired a tying solo shot in the bottom of the 10th inning of Game 5 of the playoffs against the Kiwoom Heroes. The MVP of the understanding playoffs is Kim Kang-min.

In addition, in the 2022 Korean Series against Kiwoom, where SSG won the Wire to Wire, he hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 5 of the Korean Series, trailing 2-4, making him a batter who hit his fourth walk-off home run in the history of the Korean Series. He also won the MVP of the Korean Series. It was also the oldest home run in the Korean Series before KIA Tigers' Choi Hyung-woo broke it last year.

SSG 김강민. Sports Chosun DB

Manager Lee Soo-yong said, `He is a player with a certain distribution, so-called strong heart. While emphasizing that hitting at a critical moment is the quality of a superstar, "I tried hard to do it when I was active, but I always hit a tie or a follow-up score and Park Jae-hong or Shim Jung-soo hit a decisive shot."

On this day, Kim Kang-min was listed in the first team as a special entry. After starting as the first batter center fielder, he will be replaced by the Jihoon Choi when the referee shouts the play ball. Coach Lee Soo-yong smiled when he said 'Is there any ceremony?'The two players are special, so they'll take care of themselves.'

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.