 Heroes catcher Kim Dong-soo, a 19-year veteran, played his 2,000th game Tuesday night. The 39-year-old Kim is the first catcher and third player to reach the milestone in the 27-year history of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). / Yonhap |
Korea Times Intern
Heroes veteran Kim Dong-soo became the first catcher in Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) history to play 2,000 games in his team's 12-5 loss against the Doosan Bears Tuesday at Seoul's Jamsil Stadium.
``To celebrate his meaningful game, I decided to put him in the starting lineup,'' Heroes manager Kim Kwang-hwan said.
Kim, who is in his 19th KBO season, is the league's third player to reach the 2,000-game mark. His teammate Jun Joon-ho has played 2,058 games and Kim Min-jae of the Hanhwa Eagles 2,004.
Kim Dong-soo debuted as a catcher on April 8, 1990 for the LG Twins against the OB Bears _ a predecessor of the Doosan Bears ― at Jamsil Stadium. He recorded 13 home runs, 62 RBIs and batted .290 during 110 games in his rookie season. That included a home run in a victory against the Bears that enabled the Twins to clinch the pennant.
Kim transferred to the Samsung Lions and SK Wyverns, before coming to the Hyundai Unicorns ― a predecessor of the Heroes ― in 2000. He has played more than 80 games in every year of his career.
Kim won Korean Series championships with the Twins in 1990 and 1994 and the Unicorns in 2003 and 2004. He's also won seven Golden Glove awards, the most of any catcher in KBO history.
During his career, Kim has a .262 batting average with 1,531 hits, 855 RBIs and 200 home runs. He's batting .234 with one home run and 20 RBIs in 84 games as a backup this year.
``Playing 19 years is more meaningful than playing 2,000 games,'' Kim said. ``If my family doesn't support me with their hearts, I can't stand here right now. I really appreciate it.
``I don't have any goals. I just want to play without injuries as long as I possibly can.''
snuchul@naver.com
