The status of the two strongest players of the Korean catcher, Yang and Gang, has remained strong this year as well.
Kang Min-ho (39, Samsung Lions) became the winner of the catcher category (191 votes, 66.3% of the vote) at the 2024 KBO Golden Glove (GG) Awards held on the 13th. He followed Yang Eui-ji (37, Doosan Bears, 8th award), the top player in this category, holding his seventh golden glove in his arms.
Kang Min-ho and Yang Eui-ji divided the GG (8th for Yang Eui-ji and 6th for Kang Min-ho) for 14 seasons from 2011 to this year. So far, it is hard to find a junior who is close to the skills of the two catchers in their late 30s in the KBO league. Kang has posted a batting average of .303 this year and a record of 2,369 games played in a total of games. Yang also posted a batting average of .300 for the second consecutive year with a batting average of .314. However, Yang was not nominated as a candidate for the GG this year due to lack of innings on defense due to injury.
Still, Yang Eui-ji was meaningful in that he is competing with his rival at the top. Yang Eui-ji, who met with this newspaper before the awards ceremony, said, "I'm glad that I've been mentioned as a Yang and Gang with Min-ho for more than 10 years. I'm also respectful of you," and expected, "The time I spent competing with Min-ho can be remembered as a good story in Korean baseball history after we retire."
Park Dong-won (34) of the LG Twins threatened Kang Min-ho while Yang Eui-ji slowed down due to injury. Park Dong-won, who was called an offensive catcher, won the KBO catcher's prize, the Cho-A Pharmaceutical Association's best catcher's prize, and the players' association's best prize this year. "It was a long way to go before the two seniors. I think I have to work harder to catch up," Park said. "GG is every player's dream." He aimed for GG with momentum, but ranked second (89 votes, 30.9 percent of the vote).
"Dong Won is a really good catcher," Yang Eui-ji said. "I've been close to him since I was young, but he grows every time I see him. The attitude of playing in the game is the same. When I was young (Park Dong-won as a catcher), I had a lot of rough sides. I saw him soften over time and relaxed." 바카라사이트
Ahead of his arrival, Yang has become heavier on his shoulders. He received Doosan's captain's armband in the 2025 season. Yang rarely criticizes his juniors, but he is different when he is a captain. "A captain also criticizes others, and when he hugs them, he needs to give them a hug," Yang said. "This is a place where we have to communicate our opinions well between the coach, the team and the players. He has a lot of responsibility."