'Serving 1,000 drinks and a 90-degree fold greeting': KT to Hanwha's Kang Baek-ho returns to Suwon after six months, welcomed by a full house with applause [Suwon]

*This content was translated by AI.

KT Wiz fans warmly welcomed Kang Baek-ho (27), who bowed his head in his first at-bat since joining the team, with generous applause.

On the 15th, at the Suwon KT Wiz Park, Kang Baek-ho started as the designated hitter and fourth batter in the visiting team's lineup for the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular-season match against KT. Before stepping into his first at-bat in the bottom of the second inning, he performed a 90-degree fold greeting.

This marks his return to Suwon six months after signing a four-year, 10 billion won free agent contract with Hanwha in November last year. Kang Baek-ho first bowed to the fans at first base, where KT supporters were seated, then showed courtesy with a fold greeting to Hanwha fans at third base and fans behind the catcher.

Not only Hanwha fans, but also KT home fans who had watched him for eight years, applauded the returning former star. After graduating from Bucheon Bukcho Middle School, Seoul Isu Middle School, and Seoul High School, Kang Baek-ho was selected as the first overall pick in the second round of the 2018 KBO Rookie Draft and began his professional career with KT. Over the following eight years, he grew into a franchise star representing KT.

In his first season, he hit 29 home runs, won the KBO Shin In-wang-eul (수상), and earned the right to wear the national team jersey. In 2021, he recorded a .347 batting average (179 hits in 516 at-bats) across 142 games, with 23 home runs, 89 RBIs, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.971, leading KT to its first regular-season title and Korean Series championship since the team's founding.

A crowd of 18,700, a full house, welcomed the returning Kang Baek-ho. This was the seventh sellout of the season. Kang Baek-ho also prepared a special event for fans of both teams. At Jeong Ji-young Coffee Roasters, located in the right-field area of Suwon KT Wiz Park, the first 1,000 attendees received either an Americano, a cafe latte, or a peach iced tea.

Through his agency, Kang Baek-ho stated, "I am always grateful to the KT Wiz fans who have given me unwavering support since I joined the team, and to the Hanwha Eagles fans who are supporting me as I adapt to my new team."

Coincidentally, the day was Teachers' Day. Before the game, Kang Baek-ho visited the first-base dugout with Sim Woo-jun (31), a fellow KT alumnus who transferred to Hanwha, and checked in on KT manager Lee Kang-cheol (60). Manager Lee warmly greeted the two and encouraged his former players, saying, "It's good that (Kang) Baek-ho is doing well. He needs to perform well for the money he received. If he fails again, people will say, 'All players who left KT couldn't make it,' or 'KT never signs FA players.'"

Kang Baek-ho's first at-bat ended with a groundout to second base after he fouled off the fifth pitch, a changeup, from Go Young-pyo.

Meanwhile, Hanwha lined up its batting order as follows: Lee Do-yoon (second baseman), Yonatan Peraza (right fielder), Moon Hyun-bin (left fielder), Kang Baek-ho (designated hitter), Noh Si-hwan (third baseman), Heo In-seo (catcher), Kim Tae-yeon (first baseman), Lee Won-seok (center fielder), and Sim Woo-jun (shortstop). The starting pitcher was Wang Yencheng.

In response, KT set its lineup as: Choi Won-jun (right fielder), Kim Sang-su (second baseman), Kim Hyun-su (first baseman), Sam Hilliard (left fielder), Heo Kyung-min (third baseman), Jang Seong-woo (designated hitter), Bae Jung-dae (center fielder), Han Seung-taek (catcher), and Lee Kang-min (shortstop). The starting pitcher was Go Young-pyo.

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*This content was translated by AI.