As the ‘genius shortstop’ Kim Jae-ho leaves the field, what kind of player was he to acting manager Jo? How great was he as a shortstop that a grand retirement ceremony themed 'all-time number one shortstop' was planned?
The Doosan Bears will hold Kim Jae-ho’s retirement ceremony during the 12th match of the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League against the KT Wiz on the 6th at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul.
After registering Kim Jae-ho in the first team roster as a special entry for retiring players and using him as the sixth shortstop, acting manager Jo Sung-hwan said, “I visited KT's manager Lee Kang-chul and asked for his understanding. He kindly said that if there was a way to send (Kim) Jae-ho off in a memorable way, KT would be okay with it.” He added, “I thought it would be better for his name to be called first, so I considered starting Kim Jae-ho from the beginning. I don’t know when or what the substitution will be, but I appreciate that manager Lee Kang-chul kindly understood.”
What kind of player was Kim Jae-ho to the acting manager? Jo noted, “I once met him during his active career and mentioned that I wanted to play as a keystone combo with him. I was a second baseman and had a desire to do so.” He recalled, “As a coach, Kim Jae-ho was a better player than I had imagined. He continually had a positive influence on the team, and I received a lot of help in many ways. He remains a significant memory for me.”
Behind the title of ‘genius shortstop’ was tremendous effort. Acting manager Jo remarked, “The infielders mentioned that they wanted to play like Kim Jae-ho, but I told them to work harder than him. I think he has run hard to maintain the name Kim Jae-ho. I have only good memories.” He also added, “I must say that there is no player who has taken defense training more seriously than Kim Jae-ho.”
Doosan assembled a starting lineup against KT's left-handed starter Emmanuel De Jesus that included Lee Yoo-chan (shortstop), Jeong Soo-bin (center fielder), Jake Cave (right fielder), Yang Eui-ji (catcher), Kim Jae-hwan (designated hitter), Kim Jae-ho (shortstop), Oh Myung-jin (second baseman), Kang Seung-ho (first baseman), and Choo Jae-hyun (left fielder).
Kim Jae-ho, who is holding the retirement ceremony, has been added to the first team roster through the special entry for retiring players. The KBO allowed players retiring before the 2021 season to register for the entry for retirement ceremonies even if it exceeded the existing roster limit. This institutionalized the opportunity to honor retiring players while minimizing the impact on team strength.
Kim Jae-ho became the ninth player in history to be registered in the special roster for retiring players, following Kim Tae-kyun, Park Yong-taek, Noh Ji-wan, Oh Jae-won, Dustin Nippert, Jeong Woo-ram, Park Kyung-soo, and Kim Kang-min. With his start on the day of the retirement ceremony, he stepped onto the first-team stage for the first time in 276 days since the second game of the wild card decision against KT held at Jamsil Stadium on Oct. 3 last year.
Kim Jae-ho, who graduated from Jungang High School and was selected by Doosan in the first round in 2004, made his leap as a regular player in 2014 and played a key role in winning three championships (2015, 2016, 2019). Based on his unique wide defensive range, clever plays, and overwhelming throwing ability, he was honored with the KBO Golden Glove award for the shortstop category for two consecutive years in 2015 and 2016.
Kim Jae-ho's professional career statistics include a batting average of .272 with 1,235 hits in 4,534 at-bats over 1,793 games played in 21 seasons, which sets the all-time record for the Bears franchise in terms of games played.
After retirement, Kim Jae-ho is spending his second career as a commentator for SPOTV and a member of the baseball variety show ‘Burning Baseball.’
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