At KBO Media Day held on the 30th of last month, Samsung Lions players came out wearing special items. Oh Jae-il and Won Tae-in, who attended Media Day, each wore silver necklaces with the ‘SL’ club logo large around their necks and took off on stage, showing off their splendid majesty.
At the time, Won Tae-in boasted, “I came out wearing what the PR team put on me, and I did it because they asked me to wear this necklace.” He also talked about how to use the necklace, saying, “I’m trying to prepare it as a home run ceremony for my team this season.”
And three days later, the first protagonist of the necklace was born. The main character was veteran catcher Kang Min-ho. Kang Min-ho became the main character of the necklace by shooting 3 points in a tie at the end of the 5th inning against Daegu NC Dinos on the 2nd, when the score was 3-6. Won Tae-in put a necklace on Kang Min-ho, who was returning to the dugout, and Kang Min-ho, who had several necklaces around his neck, returned to the dugout and roared with a powerful pose.
The necklace is an item that embodies the idea of Samsung’s ‘fan creator’, and is a product that is also sold to the general public. Its size and light weight compared to its appearance have been well received by players, and the strong impression of the chain necklace is also well received. It was an item worthy of a home run, a symbol of strength. Accordingly, the players used it as a home run ceremony item, and it made its debut at a dramatic moment in the game on the 2nd.
Samsung has been greatly influenced by the number of home runs since the opening of Daegu Samsung Lions Park (hereafter Rapac) (2016). Despite using the hitter-friendly Rapac as their home stadium, Samsung recorded below-league team homers for most of the season (five seasons). And since the opening of Rapak, it has not advanced to fall baseball for six seasons. In 2019, he hit 122 homers (2nd place), but there was no nutritional value, and when he hit 133 homers, which was the 3rd place in the league in 2021, he experienced fall baseball for the first time in 6 years. 먹튀검증
The same goes for the new season. A home run is highly likely to determine Samsung’s final ranking. Just as they realized the power of a home run that changed their 0-6 score to 8-6 on the 2nd, Samsung needs more home run power. Although home run hitter Oh Jae-il is slowing down, Kang Min-ho reported a catcher, and mid-to-long-distance hitters Lee Seong-gyu and Kim Dong-yeop have good hitting feel, which is a plus. It remains to be seen how shiny the ‘home run necklace’ will be in the Samsung dugout for the new season.