"I'm quite excited, too, but..." More than imagined, Kia's transfer student was grateful [Okinawa Station]

*This content was translated by AI.

Lim Ki-young (33), who was one tension among the tigers, also folded one in front of the baby lions.

Lim Ki-young met with reporters at the 2026 Samsung Lions spring camp at Akama Ball Park in Onnason, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan on the 22nd and said, "I think I'm almost used to it. I take good care of him, but his personality is... Everyone is very excited," he said with his tongue sticking out.

In November last year, Lim Ki-young moved from the KIA Tigers to Samsung through the second KBO draft. It was his comeback in 14 years after graduating from Daegu Soochang Elementary School, Kyungwoon Middle School, and Gyeongbuk High School, he joined the Hanwha Eagles as the 18th overall in the second round of the 2012 KBO Rookie Draft and left his hometown. Perhaps that's why the Gyeongbuk accent, which often appeared during the KIA period, is now constantly coming out.

Lim Ki-young said, "My parents really like it. My acquaintances and friends around me also like it. I didn't know when I was young, but as I got older, I was playing in Rafak and thought, "I want to try it here later." But at first, I was puzzled to come like this. I just need to do well, but I think it'll be really fun," he said, expressing his excitement.

With a refreshing personality, he moved quickly. It was unfamiliar because it changed its team for the first time in 12 years, but fortunately, there were many former co-workers in the bird's nest. First, Ryu Ji-hyuk moved in, and his eldest brother Choi Hyung-woo became a motivation to change his job.

Lim Ki-young said, "I just laughed at each other at first with (Choi) Hyung-woo. When I heard that my brother was going to transfer, I messaged him first, and Hyung-woo said, "Why are we meeting again like this?" He continued, "Hyungwoo has been with me since 2017. I've seen more than my wife now. The same goes for Ryu Ji-hyuk. Everyone has seen each other for too long, so it was very dependable and easier to adapt," he added.

The existing young pitchers became friends surprisingly quickly. Lim Ki-young, who eventually became the fourth pitcher in the pitching group, joined the atmosphere. It seems that Choi Hyung-woo also admitted to the pitching team. Choi Hyung-woo, who returned to his home team for the first time in nine years, also drew the line, saying, "The atmosphere of the field team is not as good as that of the pitching team."

Lim Ki-young said, "I was also on the high side in KIA, but I'm the lowest here. When I throw it, it's always noisy," he said. He said, "Just pitching in the bullpen is full of energy from the side. "It helped me adjust because I was in a fun pitching atmosphere," he said.

The last two years have been a nightmare for Lim. With an ERA of 6.31 in 37 games in the 2024 regular season, which everyone was happy to win, he had to watch from a distance while being excluded from the Korean Series entry.

The final season was completely lost. He played only 10 games in the first team last year, and his ERA soared to 13.00. It's obviously a career. Lim Ki-young responded, "My heart was chased. Since the first game didn't go well, I had a lot of thoughts on the mound and contracted. Last year, I was afraid to go on the mound," he said honestly.

The best season for him is by far 2023. He played the role of bullpen ace with 4 wins, 4 losses, 16 holds, 3 saves and a 2.96 ERA in 64 regular season games. Lim Ki-young said, "I don't think you can go back to your form when you did well then. The condition of the body is different then and now. I think I need to find a way to throw the best ball in my body right now. It's getting better and better," he said with strength.

Since the second half of last year, I have been trying various things with the mindset of changing anything. I found the most comfortable pitching form to throw, and that was to throw my upper body up. It also intends to get help from power analysis.

Lim Ki-young said, "I tend to ask the data department a lot because the difference between good and bad is so big. I heard that Samsung also has a good system. He explained, "I'm talking a lot every time I throw it in the camp."

Samsung, joined by Choi Hyung-woo this year, is considered the only opponent to beat the defending champion LG Twins. The transfer student also wants to contribute to that power. Lim Ki-young said, "When I enter the season, I tend not to set personal performance goals. "I think I'll do well if the team does well, so my team's performance comes first," he said. "From the outside, Samsung was a really strong team. Power was added to it, and in particular, (Choi) Hyung-woo came. The atmosphere itself is really good from the first camp, so I'm looking forward to this year," he said with a smile.

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*This content was translated by AI.