“It was difficult to win the unified championship after 29 years, but signing Im Chan-gyu as a free agent is the most difficult. I hope you’ll stamp it since you’ve come all this way.” The atmosphere on the field became even more jovial with Cha Myung-seok’s love for unsigned player Im Chan-kyu.
When asked what Cha Myung-seok said when he came on stage with a bouquet of flowers, Im Chan-gyu, who won the best pitcher award, said, “He didn’t say anything special, but when he shook my hand, he held my hand tightly. That’s it,” and then responded to Cha’s love call with a pleasant comment.
The 2023 Ilgoo Award ceremony was held at Rivera Hotel in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 8th. The LG Twins, who won their first pennant in 29 years, are enjoying a busy year-end with media interviews and award ceremonies, even though the baseball season is over.
At the Ilgoo Award ceremony, Cha Myung-seok, who was the first to take the stage to receive the Front Award, said, “Signing free agent Im Chan-kyu is the most difficult. I hope he (Chanyeogyu) will put his stamp on it since we have come this far,” he said with affection. While the contract has yet to be finalized, the LG Twins will not be missing out on starting pitcher Im Chan-kyu, who earned the most wins of any pitcher in Korea this season. Im had a career-high season this season, going 14-3 with a 3.42 ERA in 144.2 innings pitched in 30 games this season.
Upon receiving the award, Lim said, “I saw a lot of seniors and juniors at the awards ceremony, but I feel like I’m the least skilled. I can’t follow in the footsteps of my seniors, but I will do my best to be a good baseball player who is a good greeter and a good example for the juniors,” he said in response to the award.
Director Cha Myung-seok personally came on stage with a bouquet of flowers for Im Chan-gyu, whom he considers his favorite son. After handing the bouquet to Im Chan Gyu, who is currently unsigned, Cha shook his hand after whispering to him. 캡틴토토
When asked by the MC what he talked about, Im Chan Gyu said, “He didn’t say anything special, but he held my hand tightly when we shook hands. I think it was more meaningful to receive a bouquet of flowers from Cha Myung Suk. That’s it,” and he walked off the stage.
Baseball fans smiled at the father-son tiki-taka between Cha Myung-seok and Lim Chan-kyu, a rare sight between a manager and a player.