"Why are you coming out of there?" Samsung players were also surprised, and the KT infield trio who visited the Yomiuri match said, "I came here to analyze my power because I heard you were a favorite." [Okinawa Station]

*This content was translated by AI.

KT Wiz's proud national infielders Kim Sang-soo (36) and Huh Kyung-min (36) had a special time with rookie Lee Kang-min (19).

On Feb. 28, the Samsung Lions of the Korean KBO League and the Yomiuri Giants of the Japan Professional Baseball (NPB) held a friendly match at Cellular Stadium in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It was also the first meeting between coach Lee Seung-yeop and his former team Samsung, who voluntarily resigned as head coach of the Doosan Bears last year and took over as the Yomiuri first-team hitting coach.

Familiar faces were seen in the match, which drew attention due to the reunion of Samsung and Lion King. They were third baseman Huh Kyung-min, shortstop Lee Kang-min, and second baseman Kim Sang-soo, who are in charge of KT's infield defense. KT, which set up a base camp at Kushikawa Stadium in Okinawa, had a break ahead of its first practice game against the LG Twins on March 1.

Huh Kyung-min and Kim Sang-soo, who NPB usually enjoys, rushed to Naha, a 45-minute drive from Kushikawa Stadium, at the news that coach Lee Seung-yeop was also coming. Heo Kyung-min told Star News, "I visited with (Kim) Sang-woo and (Lee) Kang-min because I heard that Lee Seung-yeop was there. I won't be able to go after watching the entire game, but I came because I wanted to see the NPB team's training and games."

Kim Sang-soo said, "I told Lee Seung-yeop that Yomiuri's uniform looks really good on him. In fact, it was thanks to my senior that I first encountered Japanese baseball when I was in school. At that time, I watched a lot of Japanese baseball when I saw you playing an active role, and I cheered for you," he said with a smile. Lee Kang-min said, "The seniors asked me to watch it when I had time. I was also curious about Yomiuri's training and games, so I followed him," he said.

Yomiuri, who started training early in the morning, finished before 10:30 a.m. Later, as Samsung players warmed up at the Cellular Stadium, Huh Kyung-min and Kim Sang-soo also pretended to know with pleasure, saying, "Wow, it's Ji-hyuk, it's (Kang) Min-ho, it's Min-ho." Ryu Ji-hyuk, who was tee-batting in familiar Korean, was surprised and delighted, saying, "What's up, senior?" When Kang Min-ho asked, "What's going on?" they shared the joy of the reunion for the first time in a long time, jokingly saying, "I came to analyze my power because I heard Samsung is a strong team this year."

Lee Kang-min, a young face between Heo Kyung-min and Kim Sang-soo, a former national team member, is exotic. After graduating from Yushin High School, he joined KT as the 16th overall pick in the second round of the 2026 KBO Rookie Draft, and although he is a high school graduate rookie fielder, he is considered to be a strong candidate for the opening game. KT coach Lee Kang-chul's steady hitting and clutch ability to the extent that he took the fourth batter in high school on the smart shortstop defense that Samsung coach Park Jin-man's active days are emerging.

In this spring camp, he also received infield training with senior national team players such as Huh Kyung-min, Kim Sang-soo, and Kim Hyun-soo (38), raising expectations as a first-team shortstop. Second baseman Kim Sang-soo, who worked together as a Keystone duo, said, "(Heo) Kyung-min is very close, and (Lee) Kang-min came for the first time, and I brought him because I thought it would be helpful to watch Japanese baseball. He said, "I asked him to go first because he already has enough good things."

"I just graduated from high school, and I liked my footwork and shoulders. I was also very surprised as I came to the camp and worked together, and I am looking forward to growth. I think he will carry KT's infield in the future," he praised.

This winter, KT re-entered the semifinal competition with massive reinforcement including Kim Hyun-soo, Choi Won-joon, Han Seung-taek and Han Seung-hyuk. All foreign players have also changed, making coach Lee Kang-chul feel unfamiliar. In response, Kim Sang-soo said, "Still, there was no great difficulty for players with some experience to come and hang out. I also helped my teammates to be so nice and adaptable when I came from another team. I was going to do that this time," he replied.

Regarding his new colleague Kim Hyun-soo, he said, "He has so much to learn. Since he has a sincere passion for baseball, he tried to learn a little more when training batting together. "I've lived together when training for the national team, so I don't have much difficulty," he said with a smile.

Kim Sang-soo signed a four-year contract worth 2.9 billion won with KT ahead of the 2023 season and changed his uniform. 2026 is different for Kim Sang-soo as this year is his last season at KT. Kim Sang-soo said, "I'm preparing well without getting sick. I've been missing for about a month every time over the past two years, but I'm sorry for that, so my goal this year is to play more games," he said with strength.

He said, "Last year, we couldn't go to autumn baseball. to continue to fight in the middle It was even more unfortunate that it happened at the end. The team seems to have thought of reorganizing with that as an opportunity, and they are trying to finish the season higher this year. I'm not sick now, so I'm looking forward to this season more."

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*This content was translated by AI.