"I missed you." Mokdong-Gochok era: Heroes' first loves respond. "You must have been unable to bring them out for a while... Thank you."

*This content was translated by AI.

"We missed you a lot. It's good that we have so much to say to the children these days."

A Heroes fan wearing Seo Geon-chang's (37) old uniform said this while visiting Jamsil Baseball Stadium with his child last weekend.

When attending Kiwoom Heroes games this year, you can see many young parents in their 30s and 40s wearing Nexen-era uniforms. In their hands and arms are children wearing Kiwoom Kids uniforms. While cheering enthusiastically, the children constantly ask their parents about this player and that player.

Even more interesting is the sight of the parents. The young parents were also excited by the tireless enthusiasm of their children. One such couple is Lee Deok-haeng (40) and his wife, who came to Jamsil Baseball Stadium wearing Andy Benes' uniforms. He has been supporting the Heroes since 2012 and convinced his wife, who knew nothing about baseball, to become a fan. Naturally, their two children also became "Kkeum-rin" (Kiwoom + children).

Young parent Heroes fans cited the return of senior coach Park Byung-ho (40), who stayed with the team, and Seo Geon-chang (37) as one of the reasons. Both Park Byung-ho and Seo Geon-chang were the players who made the fans fall in love with the Heroes during their childhood. With players who were with them at the time, such as Im Byung-wook (31), Ha Young-min (31), and Kim Woong-bin (30), recently performing well, they are becoming a bridge connecting fans who do not know the Mokdong era to the "Heroes that mom and dad loved."

Lee Deok-haeng said, "I have been supporting the Heroes since 2012. It reminds me of dating my wife while cheering at Mokdong. I also introduced the children to the team." He explained, "The children memorize the players' names every day at home. Then we tell them that this player was a great player in the past. We also attended Park Byung-ho's retirement ceremony together. Since then, the children have come to like Coach Park Byung-ho and have grown to like other players even more."

The players were also aware of this atmosphere. When met at Jamsil, Seo Geon-chang smiled and said, "I can see many old uniforms in my eyes too. You must have been unable to bring them out for a while... I wonder if that much time has passed, and thanks to that, I remember the past a lot."

Seo Geon-chang remains a figure that still makes Heroes fans' hearts flutter. After joining the team in 2011, Seo Geon-chang won the KBO Shin In-wang-eul (수상) in 2012, officially launching his prime. In 2014, he swept the batting triple crown, Golden Glove, and Regular Season MVP with a .370 batting average (201 hits in 543 at-bats) in 128 games, becoming a legend of a nurtured player. As a key player of Nexvengers (Nexen + Avengers), he helped establish the identity of the new Heroes by participating in two Korean Series together.

He later experienced ups and downs and even left the Heroes for a while. However, he returned to Gochok Dome in January this year and signed a multi-year non-free agent contract worth up to 600 million won for two years on the 20th. The support of Heroes fans also played a role in this background.

Seo Geon-chang expressed his honest feelings: "We exist because of the fans. Wearing the uniform and coming to see us may seem trivial, but it gives strength not only to me but also to the players. It makes me think even more that I need to work harder. I saw people coming while wearing the uniforms, and I felt really good."

There is another player who stirs nostalgia among Heroes fans. If Seo Geon-chang is the name that has returned, Im Byung-wook is the name that Heroes fans have never let go of. After graduating from Suwon Singok Elementary, Baemyung Middle, and Deoksu High School, Im Byung-wook joined the team as the first-round pick in the 2014 KBO Rookie Draft and has played exclusively for this team ever since. As seen in the fact that he was drafted ahead of Kim Ha-seong (31, Atlanta Braves), Im Byung-wook was highly regarded as a five-tool player with great potential.

2018 was the year that briefly showed fragments of that talent. That year, Im Byung-wook played in 134 regular-season games, batting .293 (124 hits in 423 at-bats) with 13 home runs, 60 RBIs, 76 runs scored, and 16 stolen bases, posting an on-base percentage of .327 and a slugging percentage of .468. He showed off his talent fully in the postseason as well, winning the series MVP with back-to-back three-run walk-off home runs against the Hanwha Eagles in the semi-playoffs. It was a pity that injuries prevented him from continuing that momentum. Because of this, he was called "first love" by Heroes fans, meaning a relationship that could not be fulfilled.

However, he is once again showing good performance this year, calling fans back to the stadium. Kim Seo-han (24), whom I met at Jamsil, is one of them. Three years ago, upon hearing news of Im Byung-wook's return from injury, she rushed to the Goyang minor league stadium to receive an autographed uniform, and she visited the stadium today wearing that uniform.

Kim Seo-han said, "I heard news that Im Byung-wook is doing well, so I came out wearing this uniform for the first time in a long while. He is a player who was doing well until he got injured repeatedly, and he was also called the Heroes' first love. I am grateful that Im Byung-wook is doing well, and as a fan, I feel proud. I just hope he continues to do well until the end without any injuries in the future."

Im Byung-wook stated, "Actually, when I was young, I didn't realize my uniform was selling so much, so I didn't feel it. But seeing those uniforms now, I feel a special emotion thinking that there were so many people cheering for me like that."

It is not only the fans who were encouraged by the return of Park Byung-ho and Seo Geon-chang. Regarding the reasons for his recent good performance, Im Byung-wook said, "The preparation was the same, but my mindset was a little different. With (Seo) Geon-chang hyung also coming and Coach Park Byung-ho hyung returning, I feel psychologically more at ease."

He continued, "When I first played in the spring training games and was sent down to the minor leagues, Geon-chang hyung told me, 'Byung-wook, you can't give up on baseball,' and he helped me steady my mind. After that, when I went down to the minor leagues, I had deep conversations with Manager Oh Yoon and also asked for help from batting coach Jang Young-seok. Coach Park Byung-ho has been watching me since I was young, so he knows me very well and gave me many realistic suggestions. I think I was able to change a little by clearly organizing my thoughts and coming back up."

Players who had left and players who had stopped have once again become one within the Heroes. Seo Geon-chang emphasized, "In response to the fans' unwavering support, we will also do our best consistently. As a senior player, I am thinking about how to ensure that our recent good results do not end as a temporary phenomenon. I still feel that I am lacking, and in my case, I am trying to focus on each at-bat and continue as many opportunities as possible."

Im Byung-wook also said firmly, "I only have the thought that I need to do better. It is true that the team atmosphere has improved a lot with (Park) Byung-ho hyung and (Seo) Geon-chang hyung coming. But before that, hyungs like (Lee) Yong-gyu, (Lee) Hyung-jong, (Oh) Sun-jin, (Won) Jong-hyun, and (Ahn) Chi-hong endured difficult times silently, so we were able to create a synergy effect."

He continued, "I am now an intermediate-year player, so I will listen well to the stories of the hyungs and pass them on well to the younger players to contribute to that synergy. Rather than setting personal goals, I will listen carefully to the stories of the hyungs and younger players and strive to make the team run smoothly."

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*This content was translated by AI.