Seoul: Kim Hyun-soo opened his 19th season in South Korean baseball at a familiar stadium in an unfamiliar uniform Saturday. Kim signed with the KT Wiz as a free agent in November, following eight seasons with the LG Twins. Before that, Kim had played 10 years with the Doosan Bears. The Twins and the Bears share Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul as their home. And the Wiz are facing the Twins for the season-opening, two-game weekend series here, making this Kim's first appearance at Jamsil as a visiting player at 38 years old.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim helped the Twins to Korean Series titles in 2023 and 2025, and he was named the MVP of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) championship series last year. He is the first player to switch clubs in the same year after winning the Korean Series MVP award. Despite losing Kim, the Twins are still considered a title favorite this year. The Wiz, no stranger to postseason play themselves, will try to give the Twins a run for their money, with Kim among their several offseason signings for the club firmly in the "win-now" mode.
Kim expressed his mixed feelings about facing his former team, stating, "Of course, it felt awkward to come here as a visiting player, but I will try to see it as just another game." Reflecting on his experiences, he added, "I used to give Opening Days a lot more meaning when I was younger. But I learned over the years that if you exert too much energy on Day 1, it can ruin the whole season." Kim also humorously commented on the possibility of being booed by Twins fans, saying, "I'll be lucky if I don't get booed. No matter what the reaction is, I will take off my helmet and bow the best I can."
Kim acknowledged the strength of the Twins, emphasizing that his departure did not diminish their capabilities. "I don't think the Twins got any worse at all just because I left. I never really stood out," he quipped, though he batted .306 and gave the Twins 751 RBIs in the 2018-2025 period -- more than any KBO player in those eight seasons. "I just want to show that we have a great team here at KT as well."
Recalling his emotional past encounters against former teams, Kim highlighted the importance of maintaining composure in the upcoming games. "I am trying to stay composed and to focus on the game at hand," he noted. "It doesn't matter how well I play today, though. I just want to win the game." However, with a light-hearted tone, he added, "I have this feeling that I am going to be terrible at the plate today. I think I will be trying too hard to win."
Kim also discussed the challenge of facing familiar pitchers from his former team, including Saturday's starter, Yonny Chirinos. "As much as I know Twins pitchers, including Yonny Chirinos, it will be different facing them in the box than seeing them from my spot in left field or first base," he explained. "So basically, I've never faced these guys before," Kim stated. "I will see the types of pitches I've never seen from them from the box. When I do make contact, I just hope that my former teammates don't make sliding catches and make me look bad."