“(Jang) Hyun-sik, are you coming to LG?”
Park Dong-won (LG Twins) was in Taipei, Taiwan, preparing for the 2024 WBSC Premier12 when he came across a YouTube video about his “old teammate” Jang Hyun-sik, who had just become a free agent from the KIA Tigers. The video analyzed that Jang Hyun-sik would sign with LG instead of staying with KIA.
Park, who was in Taiwan and had no access to domestic news, immediately sent a text to Jang Hyun-sik to find out if the story was true or not, but he didn’t hear back for two days.
“If you look at YouTube, there are too many Thulls these days, and I’m here and there’s no news, so I jokingly asked (Jang) Hyun-shik, ‘Are you coming to LG?’ But Hyun-shik didn’t answer for two days,” Park chuckled.
Two days later, Park Dong-won’s dream became a reality.
On the 11th, LG officially announced that it had signed Jang Hyun-sik to a free agent contract for a total of 5.2 billion won (1.6 billion won in down payment and 3.6 billion won in annual salary) for a contract period of four years.
LG, which was in desperate need of bullpen reinforcements, said, “Jang Hyun-sik is a middle reliever with proven pitches and excellent control, and he has shown his value this season. We expect him to be a great addition to our bullpen staff,” said the organization, explaining the big investment.
“On the 10th, (Im) Chan-kyu called me in my room and told me that Hyun-shik signed with LG, 메이저사이트 and at that time, Hyun-shik replied to me, saying, ‘You signed while diving, so why are you replying,’ and I said, ‘It was a surprise. I told him congratulations on the contract.” ‘I didn’t know anything about it, I just watched YouTube and sent him a message,’ he said. I would have been stabbed too,” he said, laughing.
Jang Hyun-sik, a native of Seoul High School, entered the professional ranks as the ninth pick of the NC Dinos in the first round of the 2013 rookie draft and became a member of KIA through a trade in August 2020. The trade was a two-for-two deal that saw NC’s Jang Hyun-sik and Kim Tae-jin head to KIA, while KIA’s Moon Moon-chan and Park Jung-soo joined NC.
Jang Hyun-sik has become one of the best players in Korea.
He won the KBO’s hold title with 34 holds in the 2021 season, and this year, he went 5-4 with a 3.94 ERA in 75 games and 16 holds to lead the team to the overall title. In his 11-season career, Jang has a 32-36 record, seven saves and 91 holds with a 4.91 ERA in 437 games and 592 innings pitched.
He and Park Dong-won bonded over the course of a year in 2022. They parted ways in November 2022 when Park Dong-won signed a four-year, 6.5 billion won ($6.5 million) free agent contract with LG, but Jang Hyun-sik’s move to LG reunited the Battery.
“I hope (Jang) Hyun-shik does very well, and I hope there will be a lot of talk about how well they brought him,” Park said, ”It’s his first time at LG. He asked me to help him, and I told him that I would help him if he needed anything. Since I’m an old colleague, I’ll work hard to help him adapt quickly,” he said, wishing his junior a quick transition to the new nest.
Meanwhile, after his move to LG was confirmed, Jang Hyun-sik said, “I would like to thank the LG Twins organization for giving me a great opportunity, and I would like to thank the KIA and NC fans for their love and support. Also, I will work hard to help the LG Twins produce the best results with the good seniors and juniors in the team.”