Hyungjun Kim’s Confession “I was in a lot of pain, and now I’m fine”

The entire Sangmu baseball team was in front of me. My heart swelled at the thought of returning to his team and showing off his skills. He encountered an unexpected reef. He underwent surgery for a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. He is about 5 months into a long rehabilitation. Kim Hyung-joon (24), a professional baseball NC catcher, said, “I feel like my body and mind are finally getting better.”

◆“I was sick”

In March 2021, he enlisted as a commercial officer. That year, he appeared in 48 second-team Futures League games, posting a batting average of 0.268 (34 hits in 127 at-bats), three home runs and 23 RBIs. In the 2022 season, he showed a batting average of 0.270 (60 hits in 222 at-bats), 5 homers and 48 RBIs in 60 games. He improved his performance ahead of the campaign in late September. The first team was also preparing for Kim Hyung-joon’s call-up. They tried to build a three-catcher system with Yang Eui-ji (now Doosan), Kim Hyung-joon, and Park Dae-on. But at the end of August, an injury came.

Kim Hyung-joon said, “When he was told that he had to operate, his hair went white. He had no idea,” he said. “I was very worried. My heart was so hard.” He said, “People around me told me various things, saying, ‘It’s okay’ and ‘You just need to prepare well again. I was grateful, but to be honest, at that time, no words could help.” “It was difficult to accept the fact that I had to go on the operating table and have to rehabilitate for about a year. He was heartbroken,” he recalled.

The rehabilitation process was not easy. She was motivated, but there were times when things didn’t turn out the way she wanted. Kim Hyung-joon said, “Even when things went well, I got sick once in a while. Every time he did that, his will was broken,” he said. “It was to the point where he didn’t want to do anything. He even thought about dropping everything. Still, I didn’t want to give up.” So I gritted my teeth and endured. 안전놀이터

◆ “It’s okay”

Fortunately, the speed of rehabilitation is fast. Kim Hyung-joon said, “It has improved a lot. It is possible to simply run. It is about 70%,” he said. “I am also playing catch. I think I will try to hit a little bit starting this month.” He continued, “The trainers took good care of me and paid a lot of attention, so I am recovering smoothly. You don’t have to worry about it,” he added.

When you come back, you have to jump into a new competition. There has been a change in catchers. Veteran Yang Eui-ji transferred to his former team Doosan as a free agent (FA). Instead, Park Se-hyuk, who belonged to Doosan, joined NC through free agency. Ahn Joong-yeol also wore an NC uniform as a compensation player for FA No Jin-hyuk, who left for Lotte. Kwon Jeong-woong, who was released from Samsung in August of last year, also became a family member of NC in early September.

don’t rush Kim Hyung-joon said, “I think I might come back in May or June at the earliest. But I will not rush out,” he said. “I will make my body perfect and come back. He felt that players should never get sick. He needs to be healthy so he can compete.” He said, “Even if it is a little late, I will make it 100%. He raised his voice, saying, “I will prepare well so that I can show you what I do well on the baseball field.”