At the beginning of the season, Lee Seung-yeop gave a cold assessment, saying, “Three shortstop players, including Kim Jae-ho, are all insufficient in my eyes,” and Kim Jae-ho went down to the Futures League, even mentioning the possibility of retirement. He had a batting average of 0.209 in 2021 and a batting average of 0.215 in 2022, but he seemed to be having a hard time this season as well. However, the 38-year-old veteran made a splendid comeback. Some say that his recent performance has been “rejuvenated.” If you look closely at the grades, it is beyond rejuvenation and is at the level of “career high.” 스포츠토토탑
As of the 5th, Kim Jae-ho has a batting average of 0.340 (55 hits in 162 at-bats), 2 home runs, 19 RBIs, 25 runs, 3 steals, and 22 walks. He played 65 games and played only half of the regulation at-bats, but his performance is surprising. In particular, he has an on-base percentage of 0.438 for the first time since his debut. In addition, all figures of 0.420 OPS 0.858 wRC+ 152.4 are career high. Especially last month, he swung a scary fire bat. During the month of August, he showed a batting average of 0.435 (27 hits in 62 at-bats), 2 home runs, 12 RBIs, and 1.135 OPS in 21 games, which is better than his heyday.
Recently, Doosan has been in a fierce battle for fifth place, falling to sixth place. Kim Jae-hwan, who I trusted at the most important moment, is not doing his part, and Kim Jae-ho is virtually leading the lineup. He has been showing off his old age with a monthly batting average of more than .300 per month since June. With a high batting average and on-base percentage, he kept the No. 2 batting order, creating a structure in Doosan’s top batters. As Kim Jae-ho established a table setter with Jung Soo-bin, chances are continuing for center hitter Yang Eui-ji. For Doosan, which was worried about the sluggish performance of promising players such as Lee Yoo-chan and Ahn Jae-seok, Kim Jae-ho’s performance is like a welcome rain in a drought.
Meanwhile, Kim Jae-ho, who played more than 1,700 games in Doosan alone, was a better defense than offense even in his heyday. He was a shortstop with a wide range of defense, strong shoulders, and above all, stable handling. Doosan was able to build a dynasty by winning the Korean Series three times because of the stable defense of Kim Jae-ho, the commander of the ground. Kim Jae-ho, who has shown poor performance in offense and defense in recent years as he gets older, is turning the team’s hottest bat this season. I can’t go against time, but Kim Jae-ho’s clock is going backwards.
Currently, Doosan is in sixth place with 55 wins, 55 losses, and 1 draw, three games away from fifth-ranked NC. Victory is desperately needed to advance to the top five, the fall baseball Maginot Line. At times like this, the role of veterans is more important. Veterans read and cope with their opponents’ goals accurately and do not falter in the match. Kim Jae-ho plays an important role in supporting both the team’s offense and defense. “One Club Man” franchise star Kim Jae-ho is still sweating today to lead his juniors to advance to autumn baseball by swinging a bat that has risen in the twilight of his career.