'Key player of a competing team' returns to his former club as an '8 billion won FA'... How will KIA fans welcome Park Chan-ho?

*This content was translated by AI.

Doosan Bears Park Chan-ho (31) steps onto the Gwangju field for the first time since his transfer.

Doosan will face the KIA Tigers in a three-game midweek series starting from the 12th at GwangjuKia Champions Field. Both teams currently share the fifth-place spot with 17 wins, 1 draw, and 19 losses (winning percentage 0.472). They trail the seventh-place Hanwha Eagles by one game, the eighth-place NC Dinos by 1.5 games, and the ninth-place Lotte Giants by two games, making every match a critical turning point for maintaining fifth-place standing and advancing toward the upper tier. They are 2.5 games behind the fourth-place SSG Landers.

This is Park Chan-ho's first visit to his former team after signing a free agent (FA) contract with Doosan for a total of up to 8 billion won (bonus 5 billion won, total salary 2.8 billion won, incentives 0.2 billion won) following the previous season. Doosan did not have a road trip to Gwangju during spring training in March, and even in the regular season, they played a three-game series against KIA at home in Jamsil Stadium from the 17th to 19. Doosan leads the head-to-head record with two wins and one loss.

Park Chan-ho is playing a key role as a two-way player for his new team, Doosan. Offensively, he bats leadoff and has recorded a .279 batting average (39 hits in 140 at-bats), three home runs, and 13 RBIs in all 37 games of the season. He has scored 28 runs, tying for fourth in the league, and has stolen 12 bases, ranking second overall.

As a shortstop, he has committed only three errors, demonstrating stable defense. It has become a routine scene for Doosan fans to see him avert scoring threats with his exceptional defensive plays. Adding his signature fighting spirit to his performance, he has firmly established himself as an indispensable presence for the team.

It remains to be seen how KIA fans in Gwangju will welcome Park Chan-ho, who has returned as a key player for a team in the standings race. Earlier, Doosan fans harshly booed Kim Jae-hwan (38, SSG) during his first game against his former team at Jamsil Stadium after his transfer, which took place during a weekend match against SSG.

Kim Jae-hwan, who gained FA status after the previous season, became a free agent as stipulated in his contract after failing to reach a stay agreement with Doosan. When he subsequently signed a two-year deal worth up to 2.2 billion won with SSG, Doosan fans strongly criticized him for leaving without compensation.

Park Chan-ho's case is different. He exercised his rights according to the FA procedures specified in the KBO regulations and moved to a new team. In exchange for releasing Park Chan-ho, KIA received pitcher Hong Min-gyu (20), selected 26th in the third round of the 2025 KBO Draft, and 900 million won from Doosan.

Park Chan-ho made his professional debut in 2014 when GwangjuKia Champions Field opened and wore the KIA uniform for 12 years until last year, playing on the home field. Now, attention is focused on how he will perform in front of KIA home fans, who are now his opponents.

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*This content was translated by AI.