Hyung-woo is four years older than me, but it makes me dream of the second-largest mental pillar in FA history and the best catcher in the league

Nov 27, 2025

In the first game of a doubleheader between Doosan and KIA at Gwangju KIA Champions Field on the 17th, KIA Choi Hyung-woo greets Doosan catcher Yang Eui-ji as he enters the batter's box with one out and runners on first base in the bottom of the third inning. Gwangju = Reporter's book@sportschosun.com/2025.05.17/

"(Choi) Hyung-woo is 4 years older than me. He's doing that."

Doosan Bears catcher Yang Eui-ji was born in 1987. Ever since he was in his late 30s, he has mentioned Choi Hyung-woo as his role model. Choi Hyung-woo, born in 1983, is 43 years old next year, but he still has a great presence. To the extent that it's rocking the current FA market. The recruitment match between the original KIA Tigers and the former Samsung Lions is currently underway.

Yang Eui-ji is the league's best player, boasting the second-largest accumulated FA amount in history. After the 2018 season, he became the first FA to sign a four-year contract with the NC Dinos for 12.5 billion won, and after the 2022 season, he was re-qualified as the FA and signed a total of 15.2 billion won with his former team Doosan for 4+2 years. The accumulated amount is 27.7 billion won. It follows Choi Jeong (302 billion won) of SSG Landers, the No. 1 player in history.

Yang Eui-ji hit 0.337 (153 hits in 454 at-bats) this year, the third year of his contract with Doosan, and became the batting king. It was his second personal award after 2019 (0.354) when he was in NC. He is the first catcher to win the title twice. He won the title of batting champion for the first time in the Bears uniform.

Yang Eui-ji "I didn't even think about it. I think I got it because I was lucky. At the end, Ahn Hyun-min (KT Wiz), Reyes (Lotte Giants), and Song Sung-moon (Kium Heroes) were doing really well. I was lucky enough to do so," he said with humility.

In fact, Yang Eui-ji faced a crisis last year. He only played 608 ⅓ in defense, failing to qualify as a Golden Glove candidate. It was the aftermath of the injury. The flow of winning the Golden Glove for six consecutive years from 2018 to 2023 was cut off, and Yang Eui-ji's pride, who boasts nine wins in his career, was also cracked. Some said it would be difficult for a catcher to remain at the top anymore because of his "age".

Yang Eui-ji broke this concern this year. This year, he recorded 726 innings of defense to meet the criteria for Golden Glove candidates. If he receives the Golden Glove in the catcher category again this year, he will receive the honor of winning the 10th prize, the most ever, along with former Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop.

Yang Eui-ji thanked his older brothers Kang Min-ho (Samsung Lions) and Choi Hyung-woo, who were strong support. Kang Min-ho, born in 1985, is also still at the top of the league as a catcher with Yang Eui-ji.

Lotte and Doosan at Jamsil Baseball Stadium on the 28th, and pinch hitter Yang Eui-ji, one out and runners on first and second bases, are happy to hit an RBI timely hit in the bottom of the sixth inning. Jamsil= Reporter's wook@sportschosun.com/2025.09.28/

A game between the Doosan Bears and the Samsung Lions at Jamsil Stadium on the 28th. Yang Eui-ji, who was aiming for home when Doosan's Park Joon-soon hit with one out and runners on the first and second bases in the bottom of the first inning, is tagged by Samsung catcher Kang Min-ho. Jamsil = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.08.28/

Yang Eui-ji is " (Kang) Min-ho always says. Take care of your body, play a lot of games as a catcher, and don't get sick and let's play baseball for a long. My brother is 4 years older than me, but he's doing so well, and he always tells me not to get sick because I can do well enough. They tell me to take good care of my body, and when I'm in trouble, they tell me a lot of stories that are mentally helpful. Even when the team is in trouble, ask two older brothers and they will give them advice. They are really indispensable to me right now. I always say thank you to the older members and play a lot of jokes," he laughed in reply.

Yang Eui-ji went on to say, "There are few older brothers who can ask, "What should I do in this case?'" I think Minho and Hyungwoo are the two older brothers who can say really comfortable things, say really good things, say helpful things, and give me confidence. There's one more person I'm thankful for. The agent Song Seung-min is really my mental support. It is helpful to always monitor the players and see a lot of condition and technical things. When you get older, you lose confidence, because of them, you gain confidence and I think you can do well on the field without being a little bit intimidated.'

Yang Eui-ji has already set his goal for next season. Playing more games as a catcher and elevating the team to a higher rank. After appointing Kim Won-hyung, Doosan is strengthening its power very aggressively by forming an ultra-luxury coach and recruiting Park Chan-ho, the largest shortstop in the FA. Yang Eui-ji, who will be the captain next year, has a heavy shoulder.

Yang Eui-ji said "I personally did well in my goals this year, but the team's poor performance was the biggest concern this year. I'm worried about how to lead the team in a better direction next year and how to defend a lot. I think we need to supplement our team's performance a little more and prepare well like this year and perform well next year as well."

Pitcher Lee Yong-chan, who recently returned to Doosan through the second draft, is also a big help.

Yang Eui-ji said "The only veterans were Jung Soo-bin, Yang Seok-hwan, and me. (I)I think it's a little better because Yongchan is here. He wants me to captain for another year, so I do it, but Jung Soo-bin will be an FA next year. After signing an FA contract, Jung Soo-bin should also make a claim. I really want to do it. I don't want to see it because I'm only trying to do something comfortable (laughs). If I tell them to do it, they say, "What should I do?" I want them to claim it," he stressed.

He welcomed Park Chan-ho, who will join the ranks of veterans and take over as the main shortstop.

Yang Eui-ji was the opposite team, but when he was at KIA, he rated (Park) Chan-ho very highly. He appreciated it as a player who has a very good defense, is persistent at bat, can score when he needs one point, and plays that can be sacrificed with team batting. I hope that young players will see and learn a lot about Park Chan-ho, and that Chan-ho will give advice to young players."