*This content was translated by AI.
Park Byung-ho (40), the "people's big guns" who commanded the KBO League, left the solid ground and made a fresh start as a coach for the Kiwoom Heroes' residual forces. He honestly said that the end of the colorful home run hitter with 418 home runs in the KBO League was filled with happy memories with his teammates of the Samsung Lions.
Park Byung-ho went to a press conference for retirement and coaching at Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of the 15th. Park Byung-ho, who announced his retirement on November 3 last year after the 2025 season, was appointed as a coach for the Kiwoom Heroes, his former team, on the 4th. Since then, it was the first public appearance since his personal safety was organized.
Asked by Star News whether Samsung players, including Koo Ja-wook, told him about stopping his retirement, Park Byung-ho said, "First of all, I knew that Samsung's middle and old players were actually retiring. So, in fact, everyone recognized it while playing fall baseball. He went out as a postseason pinch hitter, but his last at-bat was a fly ball. In the middle, the players talked to each other that it was a bit disappointing that their last at-bat ended with a fly," he recalled. "That's why I personally think I played baseball happily with our (Samsung) players until the end," Park said with a smile.
Park Byung-ho left the KT Wiz in April 2024 and changed into a Samsung Lions uniform. Coincidentally, it was a trade in which Oh Jae-il (40), the "same first baseman," exchanged his team. Park Byung-ho of the Samsung Lions still played an impactful role. He has hit as many as 35 home runs in 153 games based on the regular season until the 2025 season. The effect of Daegu Samsung Lions Park, which is batter-friendly, was truly enjoyed. Park Byung-ho has reached 400 home runs in his Samsung uniform.
He also introduced an episode with Kang Min-ho (41) and Choi Hyung-woo (43), who are preparing for the 2026 season as a member of Samsung. Regarding the reason for choosing a leader among various career paths, Park Byung-ho said, "I had the opportunity to talk with the two players last season. We thought about what the future would be like (in a similar age), but we talked about starting a leader. In fact, there was also a desire to be a commentator, but I came to the conclusion that the ultimate goal was to be a leader. I decided to become a leader because I thought it would be a very helpful experience for me if I started as a leader as soon as possible, and it would be a valuable experience," he explained.
Based on this experience, Park Byung-ho will take his first step as a leader in Kiwoom, the "friendly team." Taking on the heavy responsibility of training juniors on a team like his hometown, where he had a brilliant heyday, he will generously pass on the rich experience and know-how he gained during his active career to residual military players. The bat of the "home run king" who once dominated the era has stopped, but now his new journey to cultivate future big guns that will lead Korean baseball at the training ground, not at-bats, is set to begin.
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*This content was translated by AI.
