Why did Doosan bother to replace Kim Jae-ho in the middle of the first inning?
Jul 06, 2025
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Doosan held Kim Jae-ho's retirement ceremony against KT Wiz in the KBO League in the 2025 season at Jamsil Stadium on the 6th.
Doosan also put Kim Jae-ho in the starting lineup after registering him as a special entry. Kim Jae-ho started as the sixth batter and shortstop. Naturally, he took the field from the defense in the top of the first inning.
The concern was how long Kim Jae-ho would play. In retirement games, it is now common to play briefly after asking the opposing team for understanding. In the case of pitchers, they face one batter or if they are batters, they come in at least one batter. It's one out count.
However, acting coach Cho Sung-hwan did not say anything about this ahead of the game, saying, `Looking at the situation.' It sounded strange as if he was saying he could run until the second or third inning.
Kim Jae-ho also reportedly trained hard for the day. Kim Jae-ho went to work at the same time as he was a player until the 6th and practiced the same.
Regarding the playing time, Kim Jae-ho said "The coach decides. "If you want me to run to the end, I'll run to the end," he replied with a smile, while also maintaining 'security'.
Kim Jae-ho was replaced when two outcounts went up in the top of the first inning. Kim Sang-soo stepped down with a fly ball in left field and Kim Min-hyuk with a fly ball in center field, so Kim Jae-ho's defense could not be seen.
Acting coach Cho Sung-hwan requested a defensive replacement. Park Joon-soon jumped in wearing a basic uniform without a uniform number.
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When Kim Jae-ho came into the dugout, Doosan fans sang Kim Jae-ho's cheering song during his active days.
A Doosan official said "We agonized over the starting business trip and the last-minute replacement of the game, and decided that it would be better for the fans to be in the starting lineup." It was also intended to replace him during the inning without playing one inning and leave the ground with cheers and shouts from fans.
Coincidentally, when Kim Jae-ho was replaced, Ahn Hyun-min's ball rolled in front of the shortstop.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.