"When will the swift Kim Sung-yoon return?" Unemployed Hong Joon-pyo unexpectedly expresses his fandom for Samsung amid their four-game losing streak

*This content was translated by AI.

Former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo (72), now back to being a private citizen, unexpectedly expressed his support for the Samsung Lions.

Former Mayor Hong Joon-pyo took to his social media on the 24th, saying, "Since becoming unemployed, I live for the joy of watching baseball every day," drawing attention as he mentioned Samsung's recent four-game losing streak.

Samsung lost 2-8 to the SSG Landers at Daegu on the 23rd. This marks their fourth consecutive loss since the the 19th game against the LG Twins, leaving them with 12 wins, 1 draw, and 8 losses, holding fourth place in the league.

The ongoing aftermath of injuries has been significant. This season, Samsung has struggled since spring training with surgeries on players such as Matt Manning (28) and Lee Ho-seong (22). Despite these setbacks and boasting a powerful lineup, they were competing for the top spot, but as April progressed, even their key position players fell to injuries, creating a major hurdle.

It began on April 7 when outfielder Kim Sung-yoon (27) was removed from the first-division roster due to side pain. Infielder Kim Young-woong (23) suffered a hamstring injury while stealing a base on April 10 and was advised to undergo at least three weeks of rehabilitation. To make matters worse, on April 11, outfielder Koo Ja-wook (33) was sidelined due to a minor fracture in his rib bone, and shortstop Lee Jae-hyun (23) was also removed from the first-division roster on the 23rd due to back pain.

Fortunately, remaining players such as Kim Ji-chan (25), Park Seung-kyu (26), Jeon Byeong-woo (34), and Ryu Ji-hyuk (32) have been fighting hard to engage in a fierce battle for the standings, though they appear increasingly strained. Former Mayor Hong seems to have noticed this. He lamented, "Aside from Kim Ji-chan (Kim Ji-chan), Park Seung-kyu, Jeon Byeong-woo, and Ryu Ji-hyuk, I don't see any Samsung players who are worth their salaries."

He also later expressed blunt dissatisfaction with certain players. Even amidst this, former Mayor Hong remarked, "When will the swift Kim Sung-yoon return?" expressing his longing for the injured player. Fortunately, Kim Sung-yoon is expected to return within April.

Before his injury, Kim Sung-yoon was playing the role of a vanguard with a batting average of 0.385 (10 hits in 26 at-bats) and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.984 over seven games. Given this, he is expected to provide a vital spark to Samsung's sluggish lineup.

Former Mayor Hong, originally from Changnyeong County, Gyeongnam, grew up in Daegu. After passing examinations, he entered politics and served as the 35th Mayor of Daegu (2022–2025), forging a deep connection with the city. He announced his retirement from politics last May and is currently living as a private citizen, aside from holding a few honorary positions.

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*This content was translated by AI.