Im Ji-yeol of the Kiwoom Heroes hits a double against the Lotte Giants during the clubs’ Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on July 22, 2025, in this photo provided by the Heroes. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, July 23 (Korea Bizwire) – A dozen years after getting drafted into the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), Kiwoom Heroes outfielder Im Ji-yeol is finally seeing regular playing time at age 29.
And the team’s interim manager, Seol Jong-jin, said Wednesday he won’t mess with success.
“Ji-yeol was given an opportunity to play regularly in the first half of the season and he made the most of it,” Seol told reporters before the Heroes hosted the Lotte Giants at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. “Now that I’ve managed him in a couple of games, I can see that he has some good things going at the plate. I will keep putting him in the lineup.”
Im has appeared in 51 out of the Heroes’ 93 games so far, and is on pace to shatter his career high in games played — 72 from the 2023 season — with 51 games left in 2025. He has already set his personal high with six home runs and eight steals, including two in Tuesday’s 6-3 win over the Giants.
Im went 4-for-5 with two RBIs in that victory but Seol noted that the outfielder’s aggressive baserunning from the first inning was just as important as those hits.
Im had just two steals for his career before this year.
“He set the early tone for the rest of the team with his baserunning,” Seol said. “I think it gave us the momentum.”
Since taking over from Hong Won-ki last week, Seol has called on his players to start running more. He said virtually everyone on the team has the green light to steal, except for slow-footed catchers Kim Gun-hee and Kim Jae-hyun.
Even then, Seol said he was surprised Im stole third in the first inning.
“I think he felt pretty confident out there, after reading the pitcher’s moves,” the skipper said.
(Yonhap)
