"It's good that a new stadium is being built, but I feel a bit disappointed." Why did the "Invincible Daesung" who completed Hanwha's only Korea Series title 27 years ago express regret over the disappearance of Jamsil Stadium?

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

"It may be a good thing for current players that a new stadium is being built, but I have a slightly disappointed feeling."

October 29, 1999, the day Hanwha Eagles won their first and only Korea Series championship since their founding. The pitcher who threw the final pitch from the mound at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium was "Invincible Daesung" Koo Dae-sung (57). Twenty-seven years later, the legendary left-handed pitcher of Korean baseball said his final goodbye to the very special Jamsil Baseball Stadium.

Former manager Koo Dae-sung met with StarNews on the 14th ahead of the 'Jamsil The Last Inning' game held at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium and expressed regret, saying, "I hear that Jamsil Baseball Stadium is going to disappear now, so I feel a bit, well, disappointed."

Since its opening in 1982, Jamsil Baseball Stadium has been a symbolic place of Korean baseball, holding the history of numerous great games and championships. Among them, the memory of October 29, 1999, is particularly special for Hanwha fans. It was the day the team finally resolved the frustration of having reached the Korea Series four times since their Binggrae era but always settling for second place.

At the time, Hanwha led the Lotte Giants 3-1 through the fourth game of the Korea Series. In the fifth game held in Jamsil, they faced the top of the ninth inning trailing 2-3. However, they scored two runs in their final at-bat to turn the game around, and former manager Koo protected the mound in the bottom of the ninth to complete a 4-3 comeback victory. The final pitch that secured Hanwha's first Korea Series championship came from Koo Dae-sung's fingertips.

Although it has been 27 years since then, former manager Koo's memory of that day is still vivid. He said, "What I remember most is when we played the fifth game of the Korea Series here. Many other memories come to mind, but if I had to pick one specifically, that time comes to mind the most." He added, "In fact, when we were playing the fifth game, I thought we had already won. From before the game, I thought we only needed to win one more game and decided to 'end it here,' and it seems the players performed well."

In that year's Korea Series, Koo Dae-sung was literally "Invincible Daesung." He appeared in all five games, recording 10 strikeouts over 9⅔ innings, with a record of one win, one loss, and three saves. He finished all four of Hanwha's victories with his final pitches and even won the Korea Series Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.

What is even more special is that this championship remains Hanwha's first and last Korea Series title even 27 years later. Last year, Hanwha returned to the Korea Series stage for the first time in 19 years, but failed to realize their dream of a second championship after losing to the LG Twins.

Even at that time, Hanwha did not forget Koo Dae-sung. On October 29 last year, they invited Koo Dae-sung and catcher Cho Kyung-taek, who caught for him during the 1999 championship, as the ceremonial pitcher and catcher for the third game of the Korea Series against LG held in Daejeon. The battery that co-created Hanwha's first championship 26 years ago stood before the fans again.

There is a reason why Koo Dae-sung is such a special figure. After graduating from Daejeon High School and Hanyang University, he entered professional baseball as the first overall pick of the Binggrae Eagles in 1993. In 1996, he earned the regular season MVP award with an incredible record of 55 games, 18 wins, 3 losses, 24 saves, and a 1.88 ERA. He dominated an era as an all-around pitcher who did not distinguish between starting and relief pitching.

At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, he led Korean baseball to its first Olympic medal with a complete game victory of 155 pitches in the bronze medal match against Japan. He also played for Japan's Orix and the US New York Mets, and after returning to Korea, he wore the Hanwha uniform until 2010. His career record in the KBO League is 569 games, 67 wins, 71 losses, 214 saves, 18 holds, and a 2.85 ERA. Even after retiring domestically, he continued his connection with baseball as a player and coach in Australia.

Although he played in numerous stadiums, Jamsil also had special advantages for pitcher Koo Dae-sung. Koo explained, "This is probably the stadium where pitchers can throw most stably. It's quite large, right? So it is a stadium where you can pitch without worrying about home runs."

Now, that Jamsil Baseball Stadium will disappear into history and be reborn as a new dome stadium. Koo Dae-sung said, "It would have been better if they just put a roof over the current stadium," adding, "I hope there are more seats in the stands, but with about 30,000 seats, wouldn't it be the largest stadium in our country? Looking at how fans are coming now, I think that scale would be sufficient."

Expectations for a new era and regret over the disappearance of the place holding his most glorious moments coexisted. Koo Dae-sung, who had secured Hanwha's only Korea Series championship in Jamsil in 1999, conveyed his sincere feelings to fans at the end: "Please cherish Jamsil Baseball Stadium as a stadium in photos and memories, and I would be grateful if you could continue to love baseball as much as you do now at the new stadium."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original