Hanwha Eagles righthander Park Chan-ho is 1-1 with a 2.91 ERA in four outings. / Yonhap

By Jung Min-ho

There are reasons galore to visit baseball stadiums this season, but seeing star players’ perform in person is definitely one of them.

With their credentials earned overseas, Kim Tae-kyun, Lee Seung-yeop, and Park Chan-ho stand out more than others.

Since their return home following careers abroad last month, fans have flocked to the stadiums with high expectations. So far, the results have been better than anticipated.

Slugger Kim Tae-kyun, who has come back to the domestic league after a stint in Japan after signing the most lucrative one-year contract in KBO history with the Hanwha Eagles, is proving he is worth the money. As of Tuesday, he was first in the league for hits and batting average with 29 and .46 respectively. In Sunday’s game with the Nexen Heroes he had 2 hits and 1 home run with .667 batting average, leading his team to victory.

Lee Seung-yeop of the Samsung Lions is placed in the upper ranks of major offensive categories including third in homers and secondin batting average. / Yonhap

Since Lee Seung-yeop rejoined the Samsung Lions last year, he has also shown what well-rounded talent can do for the team. He ranks second for batting average with .406. Moreover, he is third and fifth on five home runs and 14 runs batted in respectively. The left-hander has shown even better form over the past five games with 10 hits, two home runs and a .526 batting average.

After getting off to a shaky start, giving up 12 runs in 8 1/3 innings with a 12.96 ERA in the first two preseason exhibition games, Park Chan-ho has regained his composure. Although he only has one win in four games, he has 17 strikeouts with a 2.91 ERA. With an ERA of 2.00 for his last two outings, fans’ expectations for the 38-year-old pitcher are growing.

Another former major league pitcher, Kim Byung-hyun, trained with the Nexen Heroes’ first team last week and is expected to soon be available to beef up the team’s bullpen.