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Tue, January 19, 2021 | 14:56
Baseball
Veteran catcher Jin bids farewell to baseball
진갑용, 은퇴 수순…전력분석원으로 변신
Posted : 2015-08-07 17:34
Updated : 2015-08-07 19:50
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Samsung Lions catcher Jin Kab-yong, left, celebrates with teammate Oh Seung-hwan (now at Japan's Hanshin Tigers) after a 2-1 victory over SK Wyverns in the game two of the 2011 Korean Series in Daegu in this Oct. 26, 2011, photo. / Korea Times file
Samsung Lions catcher Jin Kab-yong, left, celebrates with teammate Oh Seung-hwan (now at Japan's Hanshin Tigers) after a 2-1 victory over SK Wyverns in the game two of the 2011 Korean Series in Daegu in this Oct. 26, 2011, photo.
/ Korea Times file

By Nam Hyun-woo


Samsung Lions' Jin Kab-yong will struggle with a laptop computer instead of bats and mitts in contributing to his club's victories from now on. The 41-year-old veteran catcher's 19-year professional career has come to an end, the Lions said Thursday.

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club said in a statement that Jin will become an operations and strategy analyst for the team.

His status as an active player will be retained until the end of this season, and Jin will have an official retirement ceremony at that time.

Jin, who debuted for the KBO League's OB Bears (now Doosan Bears) in 1997, has been a trophy magnet for the Lions after he was traded to the Daegu-based club in 1999. During his stint with the Lions, Jin collected seven Korean Series titles, leading the Lions to reign over the league since 2002.

During the 19 seasons, he recorded a batting average of .276, had 1,445 hits, including 154 home runs and 753 runs batted in. He won the Golden Glove Award in 2002, 2005 and 2006; appeared in the Korean Series 10 times; and played in 10 All-Star games.

Of the Lions' seven Korean Series victories, Jin caught the series-ending pitch six times, except for the 2002 series, which ended with a series-ending homer.

Jin also hugely contributed to Korea's glorious moments in a series of international campaigns. As a national team catcher, he played in the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games and the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Korea won the gold medal in both competitions. He represented Korea in the 2006 and 2013 World Baseball Classics as well.

Of those celebrated moments, many Korean fans remember his fighting spirit in the 2008 Beijing Olympic gold medal match against Cuba. Catcher Kang Min-ho of Lotte Giants was sent off while protesting an umpire's call, forcing Jin, who was suffering an injury, to play. In the bottom of the ninth, when Korea was leading 3-2, bases were fully loaded with one out, and Jin and reliever Chong Tae-hyon teamed up to force a double play to cap off the game.

After spending the last and current seasons mostly in the dugout, Jin appeared at a game against the NC Dinos as a designated hitter on June 6, his last KBO League moment.

Jin told reporters that he made up his mind to retire because younger teammates were doing well. "If juniors were not doing great, I would continue my career. But, they are doing fine, so I can comfortably retire," he said.

Jin said he plans to fly to Japan and the U.S. to be trained as a coach after spending the rest of this season as an analyst.


진갑용, 은퇴 수순…전력분석원으로 변신

진갑용(41·삼성 라이온즈)가 사실상 은퇴를 선언했다.

삼성 라이온즈는 진갑용이 지도자 준비를 위해 전력분석원으로 변신한다고 6일 밝혔다.

그는 올 시즌까지 KBO 등록선수 신분은 유지하지만 포수 미트를 착용하는 대신 노트북 컴퓨터 앞에 앉게 됐다. 선수로서의 공식 은퇴는 올 시즌 종료 후 이뤄질 예정이다. 

진갑용은 '공식 은퇴를 한 뒤에는 코치 연수를 고려하고 있다'며 '당장은 선수가 아닌 전력분석원으로 일하며 그간 쌓은 노하우를 바탕으로 팀에 도움이 되고 싶다'고 말했다.

이어 '정말 오랜 기간 선수로서 뛰었다'며 '정든 그라운드를 떠나는 게 섭섭하지 않을 리는 없지만, 팀과 후배들을 위해 결정했다'고 덧붙였다.

진갑용은 올 시즌 초반까지만 해도 이지영, 이흥련 등 후배 포수들과 함께 번갈아 1군 경기에서 마스크를 썼다.  

지난 6월 6일 마산 NC 다이노스전에서 7회에 대타로 나선 것이 마지막 출전이었다.

진갑용은 선수로서 일주일에 두세 경기를 뛸 수 있는 체력을 여전히 가지고 있지만 미련 없이 유니폼을 벗는 쪽을 택했다. 

1997년 OB에서 데뷔한 진갑용은 1999년 시즌 도중 트레이드돼 삼성 유니폼을 입었다. 현역 19시즌 가운데 17시즌을 삼성에서 뛰었다.  

2002년에는 삼성의 사상 첫 한국시리즈 우승을 이끈 주역으로 활약했다. 2000년대 들어 삼성이 달성한 총 7차례의 한국시리즈 우승에 항상 그가 있었다.

그는 프로 통산 19시즌 동안 1천823경기에 출전해 타율 0.276, 567득점, 1천445안타, 154홈런, 753타점, 13도루, 4사구 566개의 성적을 남겼다.

진갑용은 지난 5월 14일 대구 한화전 때 홈런을 쏘아 올리며 국내선수 최고령 홈런 기록(만 41세6일)을 세웠다. 외국인선수까지 포함하면 롯데에서 뛴 펠릭스 호세(42세8일)에 이어 두 번째 최고령 홈런 기록이다. (연합뉴스)
Emailnamhw@ktimes.com Article ListMore articles by this reporter









 
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