"It was reassuring to have the seniors around." As the departed leaders returned, even Heroes' first love smiled... What changed for the Heroic Army as they took the field again?

*This content was translated by AI.

Kiwoom's Im Byung-wook (31) attributes his recent strong performance not to technical improvements but to psychological factors.

Im Byung-wook is known among Kiwoom fans as "Heroes' first love." He was selected first overall in the 2014 KBO Rookie Draft and was highly anticipated as a five-tool player, but frequent injuries prevented him from fully realizing his potential. For ten years, it seemed he would remain a first love that could never be fulfilled, but this season he is showing a somewhat different side. As of the conclusion of games on the 24th, he is leading the lineup with a .302 batting average (26 hits in 86 at-bats) over 26 games, 4 home runs, 10 RBIs, 14 runs scored, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.897.

When met recently at Jamsil, Im Byung-wook said, "Actually, the preparation was the same, but my mindset was a bit different. With (Seo) Geon-chang returning and Coach Park Byung-ho also coming back, I feel more at ease psychologically."

He did not start the season with the first team either. However, a single word from senior Seo Geon-chang (37), who returned to the Heroes after five years, became a great source of strength. After being sent down to the Futures League team, he received help from O Yun (45), the second-team manager who has watched him since childhood, Park Byung-ho (40), the remaining squad senior coach, and Jang Young-seok (36), the second-team hitting coach.

Im Byung-wook explained, "When I was sent down to the second team after the initial spring training games, (Seo) Geon-chang told me, 'Byung-wook, you must not give up on baseball,' and helped me steady my mind. After that, I had deep conversations with Manager O Yun and also sought help from Hitting Coach Jang Young-seok." He added, "Coach Park Byung-ho has been watching me since I was young, so he knows me very well and gave me many realistic pieces of advice. By clearly organizing my thoughts and coming back up, I was able to change a bit."

It wasn't just Im Byung-wook who changed. Even Kiwoom, which finished last in the league for the past three seasons after reaching the Korean Series in 2022, is showing a different atmosphere than in previous years. Recently, Kiwoom faced the bottom of the standings due to a combination of factors, including the major league departures of Lee Jung-hoo (28, San Francisco Giants), Kim Hye-seong (27, Los Angeles Dodgers), and Song Sung-moon (30, San Diego Padres), the military service and injury absence of ace An Woo-jin (27), and failed foreign player acquisitions.

However, there were times that could not be explained by numbers alone. Some observers pointed to the disappearance of a central figure to unite the team as the reason why a squad that had reached the postseason nine times in ten years finished last for three consecutive years. In that sense, Im Byung-wook's words, who has shared the Heroes' ups and downs, carry meaning. Im Byung-wook smiled and said, "Really, the preparation has been the same all along. We prepared just as hard, but this time, having the seniors around made me feel more secure and at ease."

As the sudden increase in Heroes' old uniforms at Kiwoom games symbolizes, fans point to the return of Coach Park Byung-ho and Seo Geon-chang as the biggest change for the Heroes this year. Im Byung-wook drew a line, stating that the team's change cannot be attributed solely to the returns of Coach Park Byung-ho and Seo Geon-chang.

Im Byung-wook emphasized, "It is true that the team atmosphere improved significantly with Coach Park Byung-ho and (Seo) Geon-chang returning. But before that, seniors like (Lee) Yong-gyu, (Lee) Hyung-jong, (Oh) Sun-jin, (Won) Jong-hyun, and (Ahn) Chi-hong endured difficult times silently, which allowed us to achieve synergy." He added, "Even Geon-chang would have found it difficult to lead alone without other veteran seniors. Because there were other seniors, an environment was created where it was easier for juniors to talk and communicate."

This makes another fact even clearer: the existence of a clubhouse leader who builds and continues the team culture. A clubhouse leader is not created overnight. In the past three years, Kiwoom also had players and veterans who could serve as a central figure. However, the time and identity accumulated by players who experienced the team's success and failure, glory and decline together, could not be easily replaced.

When asked what was different about the past three years, Im Byung-wook cautiously shared his opinion: "Personally, when creating something, you need reliable seniors. I believe that for a team to become strong, it is important for seniors to take their positions so that juniors do not feel burdened by performance expectations. If seniors lead the team through their play and actions, juniors won't think too far ahead and can focus only on the current batter or pitcher, and can win with just that."

He continued, "The blood of those young players also flows into the veterans. The seniors cannot get tired just by watching their younger brothers. I think that part, where synergy is clearly achieved, is a bit different from the past three years. I believe the return of Coach Park Byung-ho and (Seo) Geon-chang also helped in that regard. Because they created an atmosphere that could boost team morale, even if our skills declined, we became a team that would not easily lose." He expressed his gratitude.

With players who could inherit the Heroes' culture at their peak, such as Kim Ha-seong (31, Atlanta Braves), Song Sung-moon, Lee Jung-hoo, and Kim Hye-seong, temporarily away, Im Byung-wook is one of the few players who remembers that era. Since he himself is feeling that effect, he feels a heavy responsibility to pass on the current atmosphere to the juniors.

Regarding a question about Song Sung-moon, who recently went to the United States due to his good performance, Im Byung-wook said, "Song Sung-moon is also from the generation that experienced those really strong times, so I think he was able to grow like that (even if a bit late). Now, there are many players who did not experience that era, so they do not know well how he was able to grow like that."

He then added, "Of course, I did not go through that process directly myself. But since I experienced and witnessed that era, I want to convey what I felt in the middle well. The most senior seniors find it difficult to scold rookie players. Before that scolding comes out, I try to approach them first, talk to them, and comfort them to help them work things out well." He said with emphasis.

Therefore, the comeback of Heroes' first love carries meaning beyond simple personal statistics. Im Byung-wook said, "I am now at an intermediate stage, so I want to listen well to the seniors' stories and convey them well to the younger players to contribute to that synergy. I think my role is for the seniors to focus only on the games and for the juniors to learn from that. The past three years were a bit difficult, but now I feel the team is settling into that kind of rhythm. In the future, I will listen carefully to the stories of the seniors and juniors and strive to keep the team running smoothly."

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*This content was translated by AI.