Eventually, he left for Samsung and said, "I'm so sad that I can't wear the KIA uniform anymore..." He left a heartfelt goodbye message to his fans who have been with him for nine years

*This content was translated by AI.

Lim Ki-young (33, Samsung Lions), who played well in nine seasons with the KIA Tigers, said goodbye.

On the 1st, Lim Ki-young started writing on his personal social networking service (SNS), "Hello, I'm Lim Ki-young," and "Thank you for your support so far."

Lim Ki-young said, "The nine years I spent at the KIA was a very good time for me. It's the first time in my baseball life that I've won a championship, and I don't think I would have been without KIA, such as starting and shutout."

"From a good club to a coach, coach, team, trainer, and club staff, we left with only very good memories. I'm so sorry that I can't wear KIA uniforms anymore, but I'll adapt well to the new club and show better performance to the fans who support Lim Ki-young," he said with strength.

Finally, he said, "Thank you for always supporting me when I do well or when I don't, saying good things, always smiling and welcoming me, and for giving my family a lot of support and love in Gwangju so far. Happy New Year," he wrote.

Lim Ki-young, who graduated from Daegu Soochang Elementary School, Kyungwoon Middle School, and Gyeongbuk High School, joined the Hanwha Eagles as the 18th overall pick in the second round in the 2012 rookie draft. The down payment for joining the team is 110 million won.

Lim Ki-young then wore a KIA uniform as a compensation player for Song Eun-beom, who signed an FA contract with the Hanwha Eagles in 2014. He then joined Sangmu after the end of the 2014 season and was discharged from the military in September 2016. In the 2017 season, the following year, Lim Ki-young returned to the first-team stage and played as an all-weather pitcher, going back and forth to the starting pitcher and bullpen.

In the 2020 season, he played 127 ⅔ innings in 25 games, posting a 9-10 record with a 5.15 ERA. In the 2021 season, the following year, he pitched 153 career-high innings, posting an 8-8 record with a 4.88 ERA. He then succeeded in pitching 129 ⅓ innings in the 2022 season, setting a triple-digit innings record for three consecutive seasons.

After the 2024 season, Lim Ki-young signed a free agent (FA) contract with KIA in December of that year. At that time, KIA signed a three-year contract with Lim Ki-young for a total of 1.5 billion won, including a down payment of 300 million won, an annual salary of 900 million won and an option of 300 million won. It was a possible contract because it recognized the value of Lim Ki-young.

And he pitched in 295 KBO league games until the 2025 season, with a 52-60-4 save and 21 hold ERA of 4.88 and a winning rate of 0.464 including two shutouts. While playing a total of 876 innings, he marked the detailed performance of 640 strikeouts and 513 runs (475 earned runs) that hit 1,016 hits (106 home runs) with 251 walks and 57 bodies. However, he rarely got a chance, playing only 10 games in the 2025 season.

A change came to him. In November last year, he was selected by Samsung in the third round and left KIA. This was why Lim Ki-young greeted KIA fans. How will Lim Ki-young perform in the 2026 season.

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*This content was translated by AI.