'Made in Korea', the performance is not bad, but the durability is terrible.
As one of the Korean hitters playing in the Major League, they are unable to avoid the `injury evil spirit.' It is feared that the brand will be branded as `Korean batter = glass body.' Bad luck also worked, but it seems to be exposed that he has a physique that is vulnerable to the rough environment of Major League Baseball.
Among the three Korean major leaguers, Kim Ha-sung (Tampa Bay), Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco), and Kim Hye-sung (LA Dodgers), Lee Jung-hoo is the only player left in the MLB entry.
Kim Ha-sung, the Tampa Bay Rays' highest annual salary (£13 million), entered the 10-day injured list (IL) on the 26th (Korea time). This is because he injured his back in the process of stealing second base after walking in the bottom of the second inning at home against the Chicago White Sox on the 22nd.
As a result, Kim Ha-sung made a bad throw to first base in defense in the top of the third inning and was replaced in the very next defensive inning. After the game, Kim Ha-sung said in an interview with local media such as MLB.COM that he felt a severe back pull in the process of headfirst sliding to second base. I tried to put up with it and keep running, but it wasn't easy."
The Tampa Bay club initially considered Kim Ha-sung's back pain to be temporary. He continued to accompany the team to treat the pain and then try to put it into the game. However, in the end, Kim Ha-sung could not avoid appearing on the IL. The back sprain was quite big. Tampa Bay applied Kim Ha-sung's IL retroactively to the 23rd. It is possible to return from August 2.
Kim Ha-sung, who returned to the major league stage for the first time in 320 days through a match against the Detroit Tigers on the 5th, has already experienced injuries twice. He was unable to play for four days due to pain in his right calf while trying to double steal to third base in his return match, and after returning, he was injured again and entered the IL altogether.
During his time with the San Diego Padres, Kim Ha-sung showed off his `steel stamina.' In 2023, he won the Gold Glove in the National League Utility Division, proving its value in existence. However, he was out for the season after suffering a right shoulder injury while sliding headfirst while avoiding a check ball in a game against Colorado on August 19 last year.
In the end, Kim Ha-sung had to spend a long rehabilitation period after undergoing surgery in October last year. Fortunately, I returned to the MLB stage in July, but the durability seems to have dropped considerably during the rehabilitation process.
Following Kim Ha-sung, Kim Hye-sung, who made his MLB debut this year and played as a 'super utility' of the Los Angeles Dodgers, also entered the IL.
The Dodgers called up "Triple A Oklahoma City Comets infielder Alex Freeland ahead of an away game against the Cincinnati Reds on the 30th. He is ranked third in the team and 35th overall in the MLB Pipeline Prospect Rankings. Instead, infielder Kim Hye-sung was listed on the IL on the 10th. The diagnosis was officially announced as "left shoulder mucosal cystitis".
Kim Hye-sung, who was called up to MLB on May 4, performed better than expected over the offense and defense, but was injured 87 days after the call-up without enduring for less than three months.
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| Kim Hye-sung is being tagged out while returning to the second base in the eighth inning against Boston on the 27th (Korea time). AP Yonhap News |
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It is true that Lee Jung-hoo, who remains on the only MLB 26-man roster, also has an anxiety factor in terms of his physicality. Lee Jung-hoo seriously injured his left shoulder when he collided with the fence while trying to catch Jaymer Candelario's home run ball against Cincinnati on May 12 last year, his debut season. In the end, Lee Jung-hoo, who was out for the season as it was, got on the operating table in early June. I participated in this year's spring camp after rehabilitation, but my back is not very good this time. The first back pain that occurred during the exhibition game did not completely disappear even during the season.
As a result, Lee Jung-hoo, who hit a batting average of around 300 until early May, fell into a serious hitting slump over the next two months, and his batting average fell vertically to around 250. Although it is recovering in July, it seems that it has not yet completely escaped the aftermath of the hitting slump. The threat of back injury has not completely disappeared.
As such, it is hard to say that it is a simple coincidence that all Korean Major League hitters are vulnerable to injuries. It could be a fundamental problem for Korean batters. It is interpreted that the body cannot withstand the Major League environment, which has to play far more games and travel distances than the KBO League.
In the end, no matter how much of a player who boasted the durability of 'iron-class' during my KBO league days, special preparations will be needed to fully fulfill MLB's different league schedules. In order to prevent injuries and keep the pace constant throughout the season, you need to pay attention to physical training and physical management.
There is a good example. It is Ichiro Suzuki, who became the first Asian to enter the Hall of Fame in the Major League Baseball. Since his major league debut with the Seattle Mariners in 2001, Ichiro has recorded a total of 3,089 hits, 509 steals, 1420 runs and an OPS of 0.757 for 19 seasons until retiring from Seattle in 2019. He has the most hits and highest batting average from Asia.
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| Ichiro Suzuki poses with a copper plate engraved with his face at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony held in Cooperstown, New York, on the 28th (Korea time). AP Yonhap News |
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In particular, Ichiro maintained 'steel fitness' through thoroughly routineized food intake and preparation for the game. In 17 seasons from 2001 to 2017, he played an average of 155 games each year. In the 2017 season when he was 44 years old, he played 136 games for Miami. At that time, he was not the main player with only 215 at-bats, but his physical strength was still maintained.
In 2018 and 2019 alone, he played 15 games and two games, respectively, and this was when he was already in his mid-40s and preparing to retire.
Young Korean hitters need to take note of Ichiro's speech at the '2025 HOF induction ceremony' held at the Clark Sports Center in the Cooperstown Hall of Fame in New York on the 28th. Ichiro said this.
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| Ichiro Suzuki delivers a speech at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony. ImagesYonhap News |
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"There is nothing you cannot achieve if you continue to do even the small things. Look at me. He is 5ft 11in (1m80) tall and weighs 170lbs (77kg). When I first came to America, many people said I was too small to fight big leaguers. But I knew that if I did my best in my faith in preparation, I could overcome those doubts."
Of course, it is not to say to follow Ichiro's method unconditionally. But Korean hitters, who are competing indefinitely on the major league stage, will have to think seriously about the fundamental, key message contained in Ichiro's speech, at least once again. That could be the key to a long run.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
