Will Koo Ja-wook (Samsung Lions) be able to shake off the disappointment he left in last year's fall baseball this season.먹튀검증

Koo is also a symbol of the Lionesses. Since being called by Samsung as the 12th player in the second round in 2012, Koo had a batting average of 0.318 (1,495 hits in 4,699 at-bats), 167 homers, 786 RBIs, and 140 steals (OPS) in 1,210 games until last year.

Notably, Koo was a brilliant player during the 2024 regular season. He played in 129 games and led Samsung's batting average of 0.343 (169 hits in 493) with 33 home runs, 115 RBIs, and 13 steals, with an OPS of 1.044.

However, he couldn't smile at fall baseball, the most important time of the year. In the second playoff game last year when he met the LG Twins, he injured internal ligaments in his left knee while trying to steal second base. As a result, Koo tried hard to return to the hospital early, including going to the Ijima treatment center in Yokohama, Japan, but failed to appear in the remaining postseason. Samsung also had to swallow its disappointment as it lost to the KIA Tigers with one win and four losses in the Korean Series.

After finishing the 2024 season, Koo worked hard and focused on his recovery. Fortunately, he shook off his injury quickly and joined Samsung's second spring camp in Okinawa, Japan, in good health.

He recently showed up at a real game as well. As the third designated hitter at an exhibition game against LG on Sunday, he garnered a walk and struck out once. "I wanted to play against pitchers. I wanted to play along with my teammates," Koo said after the game. "The atmosphere in the camp is really good, and I feel that our team is strengthening. I was the designated hitter today, but I'm trying to prepare well for the season by playing defense through exhibition games."

In the game on Sunday, he even launched cannons. Coincidentally, the opponent was Kia, which Samsung defeated in the Korean Series last year.

When Samsung was trailing 1-3, Koo took on Kia ace James Nail as a pinch hitter with one out at the bottom of the fifth inning. He pulled the first pitch as if there was nothing rough to do, and the ball led to a come-from-behind bases-loaded walk that far over the left-center wall. Since then, he also had a hit in the bottom of the seventh inning, displaying good batting performance.

"I tried to hit an in-play ball," Koo said after the game ended with Samsung's 8-4 victory. "I wanted to win the last game in Okinawa. I think the results were good because I entered the batter's box with the same mindset as the actual game of the season."

Koo Ja-wook's presence is absolute to Samsung. He is leading the fielders, who are composed of relatively young players, with abundant experience as well as outstanding skills. Koo Ja-wook's performance is desperately needed for Samsung, which is aiming for the presidential election once again this year, to achieve its goal. Attention is focusing on whether Koo Ja-wook, who showed a great home run against defending champion KIA on the day, will be able to shake off his regret from last fall.