(Sports News Changwon, Korea) Doosan Bears Yang-ji, who has been with Changwon NC Park since its inaugural game, will return to Changwon for the first time in a uniform of a team other than the NC Dinos.
Yang will start as the No. 3 designated hitter in the fourth game of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League against the NC Dinos at Changwon NC Park on Tuesday. He was named to the lineup after suffering a shin injury while running the bases against the Jamsil Samsung Lions on April 24, which made it difficult for him to play catcher, but he had no problem hitting.
The game will be Yang’s first away game in Changwon since returning to Doosan, and fans are eager to see him in action. It has been seven months since Yang played at Changwon NC Park since October 8 against the Hanwha Eagles.
He had played against his former team in Jamsil against NC on April 4-6, but it was a completely different feeling to face NC as an opponent at Changwon NC Park. Yang Ji also said he had mixed feelings.
“I had a sleepless night the night before. I woke up early in the morning and walked around (Changwon),” he said. “I wish I could have come sooner, but it took a while (after the season started). I had a lot on my mind, so I thought I should greet the fans as soon as possible so I could play a little more comfortably.”
Yang Ji became a free agent for the first time in his career after the 2018 season, signing a four-year, 12.5 billion won deal with NC. Yang’s mark on 토토사이트 NC is clear. He led the team to fall baseball in the 2019 season, the first year of Changwon NC Park’s opening, and the following year, NC won its first overall title in its history.
Yang hit .328 with 33 home runs and 124 RBIs in the 2020 season. He also hit .318 with one home run, three doubles, and a .945 OPS in the Korean Series and was named MVP.
Although his four-year run with the Dinos came to an end after the 2022 season when he became a free agent and signed a six-year, 15.2 billion won contract with Doosan, NC fans welcomed him back with open arms.
When Yang stepped up to bat in the first inning, the NC supporters on the first base side of the field erupted in applause. Yang took off his helmet and bowed down to thank the fans for their support over the past four years.
“I feel very sorry for the NC fans. During my time playing for the NC, I met a lot of really good people and my family and I got along very well,” he said. “We won the NC, we had a lot of good things, a lot of things to be grateful for, but I have a lot of regrets.”