'Korean express' Park Chan-ho sent heartfelt support to Kim Hye-seong (Los Angeles Dodgers), who achieved his dream of becoming a major leaguer, through social media.
Park Chan-ho and Kim Hye-seong have a special connection. In 2011, Kim Hye-seong, who was part of the Goyang Little Baseball team, participated in the first Park Chan-ho youth baseball camp. Later, in 2018, he also participated in the Park Chan-ho baseball camp, inspiring young baseball players with hope and courage.
Park Chan-ho, who enjoyed a pleasant time with Kim Hye-seong, shared a photo with him and a message on his social media on the 14th. He said, “It brings me joy and pride to see the fruit of the young baseball player ripening so well,” and added, “To see a child from the Park Chan-ho baseball camp grow up wearing a Dodgers uniform and contributing to the country gives me great joy and a sense of fulfillment.”
He continued, “Even if the young talent becomes a towering tree and gets exhausted or weakened, I must endure. I should not lose my passion so that fruit can bear on that tree.” Park Chan-ho also stated, “Days like today, meaningful days like today, and days that are remembered like today become the strength of endurance. Seeing the well-ripened fruit, Kim Hye-seong, makes me very happy. I'm proud and it's wonderful. Hye-seong, I'm so grateful. Let's do our best.”
Meanwhile, after graduating from Dongsan High School, Kim Hye-seong began his professional career after being selected in the second round of the 2017 draft by Nexen Heroes. Until last year, he played a total of 953 games in the first team, achieving a batting average of .304 (1,043 hits in 3,433 at-bats), 37 home runs, 386 RBIs, 591 runs scored, 211 stolen bases, and an OPS of .767.
Last year, he successfully completed the season with a batting average of .326 (166 hits in 509 at-bats), 11 home runs, 75 RBIs, 90 runs scored, 30 stolen bases, and an OPS of .841 over 127 games. He pursued entry into Major League Baseball through the posting system and signed a contract with the Dodgers for a maximum of $22 million over 3+2 years.
What motivated him to choose the Dodgers among multiple offers? Kim Hye-seong, shortly after signing the contract, said through the official YouTube of Kiwoom Heroes, “I have watched the plays of senior players like Park Chan-ho and Ryu Hyun-jin on the Dodgers broadcast many times,” adding, “Since the Dodgers are a team I am relatively familiar with and also the reigning champion from last year, I was more inclined towards them.”
In fact, the Dodgers were the team where Park Chan-ho, the first Korean major leaguer, and Ryu Hyun-jin, the first Korean major leaguer to go straight from the KBO League to Major League Baseball, initially played.
Entering the season with less-than-expected performance in the spring training, Kim Hye-seong received an opportunity for promotion to the big leagues last month. As of the 13th, he is batting .391 with 25 hits in 64 at-bats, along with 2 home runs, 10 RBIs, 13 runs scored, and 6 stolen bases.
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