The 36-year-old veteran that Hanwha turned a blind eye to, how desperate he was... "I'll do my best even if it's hard.""

*This content was translated by AI.

Veteran infielder Ahn Chi-hong (36, Kiwoom Heroes), who was desperate for the opportunity, looked forward to the 2026 season.

An Chi-hong played as a second and designated hitter in the 2026 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO exhibition game against the LG Twins at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 23rd, leading Kiwoom to a 13-10 victory with three hits, four RBIs, one walk, one strikeout, and one run in five at-bats.

He is a veteran who made a hit in the right place and penetrated the path. An Chi-hong called Lee Joo-hyung of the second base home with a heavy hit in the top of the third inning when Park Han-yeol's double play allowed him to stagnate.

He also played a big role in the big innings with eight runs in the top of the seventh inning. He got on base with a walk at second base with no outs and stepped home during Choi Joo-hwan's timely hit. In the one-out full base chance, Park Myung-geun's real pitch was connected to a double on the right-field line to sweep three RBIs. He also had a hit in his last at-bat in the ninth inning, raising his performance in exhibition games to a batting average of 0.324 (12 hits in 37 times at bat) in nine games.

Ahn Chi-hong, who met with reporters after the game, said, "I took two days off because I felt tired after going out of the trial game nonstop. "It's good to show a good performance in the game that took a break like that," he said.

An Chi-hong is a veteran who joined the KIA Tigers as the No. 1 player in the second round of the 2009 KBO Rookie Draft and hit 1,859 hits and 155 home runs over the next 17 seasons. Since leaving KIA in 2019, there have been many twists and turns. He went through the Lotte Giants and Hanwha Eagles and became an out-of-the-box player last year with only 66 games.

It was Kiwoom that he reached out to him again, who was turned away from Hanwha. Kiwoom selected An Chi-hong as the No. 1 overall pick in the second KBO draft held in November last year. Having mainly played as a second baseman, he received unfamiliar positions as a designated hitter and backup first baseman in Kiwoom.

Ahn Chi-hong said, "My condition came up quickly, so I continued to like it from Taiwan without any bad feeling. I didn't make any changes, but even though I had a lot of training, I didn't miss it and went in," he said. "It's just that the defense hasn't been able to go out of the game yet, so I'm ready." I think I have to adapt sensibly when I go out, but I'm going to do my best as I'm given," he stressed.

Most veterans prefer to play defense rather than designated hitters. Unlike the defense that can continue to heat the body, designated hitters have difficulty maintaining their sense by only entering the batter's box.

In response, An Chi-hong said, "I think most veterans will be like that. I don't know if I've played a lot of designated hitters since I was young, but the players who continued to play defense have difficulties. I also keep moving in the middle of the at-bat to prevent it from falling sensibly," he said.

Rookie Park Han-kyul (19), who was his main position, will take charge of second base. He is expected to become the youngest Keystone duo in the league with shortstop Eo Jun-seo (20). Regardless of this, Ahn Chi-hong aimed to give the best performance at the given opportunity.

It was a land of opportunity for Kiwoom for him, who was thirsty to play despite an unexpected injury last year. An Chi-hong said, "Now that I have this opportunity, I'm going to do my best. Even if it's hard, I'm just thinking about playing as much as I can and showing good performance, that's the only thing I'm thinking about," he said with strength.

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*This content was translated by AI.