Kim Ha-seong thought of Korean baseball before the individual.
What Ha-Seong Kim of the San Diego Padres of the U.S. Major League most emphasized was ‘responsibility’. He confessed that before he was a professional player making money, he struggled with his role in promoting Korean baseball to the United States and the world.
Ha-seong Kim returned to Korea through Incheon International Airport on the 11th after completing a successful 2023 season. He established himself as the number one hitter at the forefront of San Diego’s star-studded offense. He hit 17 home runs and stole 38 bases. Local fans showed tremendous support as he sprinted at every moment and threw his body on the ground. Ha-seong Kim himself said, “I feel the cheers coming to me louder.” In this way, Kim Ha-seong went beyond being a promising player from Korea and was recognized as a national star.토토사이트
However, Kim Ha-seong also had a difficult time until this day came. Ahead of the 2021 season, he signed a 4+1 year contract worth a total of $36 million with San Diego. However, in his first season, he fell short of expectations, hitting only .200 with 8 home runs.
In an interview, Lee Jeong-hoo (Kiwoom), who is trying to advance to the major leagues, told the behind-the-scenes story of Kim Ha-seong saying, “Korean players may not be able to advance to the major leagues in the future because of me. I’m afraid of that thought.” Regarding this, Ha-seong Kim said, “I went to the United States at a young age, and my performance in the first year was not good. It is true that I thought, ‘My juniors who dream of advancing to the major leagues in the future might be adversely affected’ because I couldn’t go there after receiving a lot of money. So, I have to do better.” “I thought I would,” he said. He continued, “I hope that many young players have big goals. I hope that their dreams of the major leagues grow.”
He also emphasized his sense of responsibility for winning the gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games. Ha-seong Kim said, “I also won a gold medal at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, and I think the players overcame the pressure well. While their performance at the World Baseball Classic in March was not good, they performed well at the next Asian Games, the very next tournament. “I am very grateful to the juniors who gave in. I also have a duty to promote Korean baseball, but I think the juniors also stepped forward with that sense of responsibility,” he explained.
Ha-seong Kim also emphasized that next year’s season opening game, the LA Dodgers game, will be held in Korea for the first time in history, saying, “I hope many juniors and amateur players will come and watch the game. It is an opportunity to make their dreams grow.” It was Kim Ha-seong who connected the meaning of the first major league game held in Korea to the future development of Korean baseball.