Oldest catcher Jin Gab-yongs 7 champion rings. February. 27, 2015 07:19. .

Samsung Lions catcher Jin Gab-yong still receives balls from young pitchers. At the Samsung Lions spring training camp in the Akama Athletic Park in Okinawa on Thursday, Jin was sweating in training with other players younger than as many as 20 years. Born on May 8 in 1974, Jin will become 41 years old. Currently, he is the oldest Korean professional baseball player. It is unprecedented that a catcher, the so-called 3D (Dirty, Difficult and Dangerous) position, has become the oldest player in the Korean baseball league. Nobody has forecast that Jin would play baseball this long.

Jin was caught in a doping test right before the 2002 Busan Asian Games. At that time, few people paid attention to the doping and Jin was also ignorant of it. As banned substance from the cold medicine that he took was detected by the doping test, Jin was excluded from the national baseball team. Amid harsh criticism from fans, he had gone through distress. However, this "doping controversy" has become overshadowed by his career records afterwards. Jin was an ace catcher in the 2006 World Baseball Classic (WBC) and helped the team to win a gold in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. At the 3rd WBC in 2013, Jin was the captain of the Team Korea. The doping incident of 2002 was a blessing in disguise as it served as an opportunity for Jin to manage his physical health more thoroughly. His baseball career has taken a turn for the better since 2002.

Before the year of 2002, Samsung had never won the Korean Series. However, once it won the series in 2002, Samsung has advanced to the Korean Series almost every year and won seven times by last year. Jin has always stayed in the home base of the Samsung Lions. Jin cherishes seven Champion rings at his home in Daegu City. Although the oldest baseball player humbly says, I was lucky, it was himself who created the luck. His motto for baseball is Train hard and rest well. Then put 100% of the physical strength to the game. The seasoned veteran catcher does not increase training amount excessively, but exercise hard and release stress for sure during the rest. Jins secret for the long-run success is good habits and joyful mindset.

Jin was lucky to have good partners. He has been paired with great pitchers of the age, such as Oh Seung-hwan (Hanshin Tigers in Japan), Ahn Ji-man and Kwon Oh-joon (Samsung Lions), Bae Young-soo and Kwon Hyeok (Hanwha Eagles). (Bae) Young-soo in 2004 was the greatest ever pitcher that I had met. His pitching had been consistent and reliable from the 1st to the 9th inning, said the Samsung catcher. Nobody is for sure until when Jin can play. He said, I will play baseball as long as my physical strength allows. Samsung manager Ryu Joong-il said, Jins presence makes a big difference in games. It is hard to find such an experienced catcher who is good at reading minds of batters, has experiences in big games, and hits a ball at right time. Jin has rarely played in last years games due to an injury. Now the veteran catcher is making his pace aiming the opening game of 2015 season.

At the age of 41, a quite old age for a baseball player, Jin is recognized by other players and coaches. Such recognitions are compliments for Jin who has been a great player. There is a saying around baseball players that "live a life like Lee Ho-jun (NC Dinos)." The saying was coined out of envy that Lee made a jackpot from an FA trade. If so, "play baseball like Jin Gab-yong" would be young baseball players deepest desire.