I graduated from high school...I envied a good academic background.
On the 12th, Park Dong-won (35·LG), who won the MVP award at the professional baseball All-Star Game held in Daejeon, mentioned several players when asked about the performance that he remembered most and said he felt envious while watching Hanwha pitcher Park Sang-won (31).
Park Sang-won, selected for the institutional sector of the Na-noum All-Star Best 12, made his appearance in the 8th inning wearing a graduation gown and cap from Yonsei University. As the cheer song 'I love you, Yonsei' echoed while he carried eagle dolls on both shoulders, Park Sang-won took the mound and showcased a graduation ceremony performance by throwing his cap high.
Although Park Sang-won, who possesses the academic background from Yonsei University that Park Dong-won envied, looked back on his college admission as a 'failure in baseball.' Before the All-Star Game, Park Sang-won, who had announced the Yonsei University performance in advance, recalled, “People who play baseball well graduate from high school and go straight to the pros. I went to a good school, but primarily I went to college because I failed in baseball,” adding, “I requested the school to borrow the graduation gown. I’ve never been able to attend a graduation ceremony due to my training, so it is an honor to finally have the chance to hold a graduation ceremony in front of everyone.
In 2013, while being a senior at Whimoon High School, Park Sang-won was not selected in the KBO rookie draft. Although he entered a prestigious university to play baseball, he also had to be prepared for the possibility of not being drafted. With an uncertain future, he studied hard as well as practiced baseball, earning a remarkably high graduation score of 3.3 for an athlete. While studying, he increased his maximum velocity to 152 km/h, emerging as the fastest pitcher in the university. During his senior year, he was limited to only 6⅓ innings due to a shoulder injury, but he was recognized for his potential as a fast pitcher and was selected by Hanwha in the 3rd round of the 2017 rookie draft, achieving his dream of turning professional.
Even after turning professional, Park Sang-won maintained the attitude of a 'studious player.' From his debut in 2017, he followed the pitching form of his role model, senior pitcher Jeong Woo-ram, making it his own, and was eager to learn, asking Major League Baseball alumnus Carlos Villanueva about slider grips upon their first encounter. Villanueva remarked, “As soon as I met Park Sang-won, he immediately started asking me various questions. I was impressed by his eagerness to improve himself. He will be an important core player for Hanwha's future,” and he left after gifting him his glove.
From the following year, in 2018, Park Sang-won grew into a bullpen ace and experienced Hanwha's fall baseball, recording double-digit holds for two consecutive years in 2019 and 2020. After returning from military service in 2023, he achieved 16 saves as a closer. Although there was a period early last year when he struggled and lost the closer position, he rebounded in the second half of the season with an earned run average of 1.99, setting a personal record of 16 holds in a single season.
In this season, he has pitched 43⅔ innings in 48 games, achieving 4 wins, 3 losses, and 10 holds with an earned run average of 3.09 while recording 30 strikeouts. He was responsible for Hanwha's opening day victory and the first hold in the new Daejeon stadium. Acknowledged for his contribution, having played the most games and logged the most innings as a reliever in a team with many strong players, he was named an All-Star candidate and selected for the Best 12 by both fans and players.
Park Sang-won, who participated in the All-Star Game for the first time as a coach-recommended player in 2023, said, “After going once, I developed a dream of wanting to go as a Best player. It’s not something just anyone can do, so I’m happy to be able to fulfill my dream. It’s even better that it’s being held at the new Daejeon stadium. I thank everyone who voted for me. We have many good middle pitchers in our team, and I’m grateful to coach Kim Kyung-moon for selecting me as the representative player. If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t be here. I’m really happy.”
He added, “All of our bullpen pitchers are doing well this year. When one doesn’t do well, another steps in to keep things running smoothly. As I said at the beginning of the season, I believe that bullpen pitchers can never perform well alone. Not just me but also Hyung-seung (Han) and Seo-hyun (Kim), along with Beom-su (Kim), Jong-su (Kim), and Dong-wook (Jo), every pitcher contributes to the team's victories, so it’s even better.”
With the most consecutive appearances at 12 and five multi-inning games, Park Sang-won is on pace for 79 games and 72 innings. As a member of the first-place team that frequently wins and because there are many tight games, Park Sang-won, as one of the bullpen aces, has been called upon frequently. Near the end of the first half, he showed some signs of fatigue, but he confidently stated, “It’s my first time throwing this much in the first half of a season, but it’s not tiring since our team is in first place.”
He continued, “When I was younger, it was tough when the team's performance wasn’t good, but now I want to go out and play more rather than feeling tired. The team trusts me, so they keep putting me out there, and it increases my sense of responsibility. I’m healthy, too. I want to manage my body thoroughly to perform my role well and help the team maintain first place until the end of the remaining season.”
[OSEN]