Major League 'Ho Trio'

By Park Moo-jong

Korean baseball fans are happy these days, especially during the busy morning hours when they are preparing to go to work or to school thanks to Major League Baseball players from their country.

As a famous girl group member asked “jokingly” or “ignorantly” some years ago why they were playing soccer so early in the morning always (in Europe) and so she could not go to bed. Many Koreans may want MLB games to be held in the morning there in the United States.

Baseball is everyday life along with American football in the United States, boasting of more than a 100 years tradition and history.

Such an American national sport has been made an important part of many people's daily lives here owing to the “Three Hos”: Kang Jung-ho of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Park Byung-ho of the Minnesota Twins and Lee Dae-ho of the Seattle Mariners.

What a coincidence! The three Korean sluggers' given names end in “ho.” Ah, there was the original “ho”: Park Chan-ho, the first Korean Major Leaguer who pitched from 1994 to 2010 for eight teams starting at the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Actually, “ho” means in Chinese “good,” “tiger,” “lake” and “magnanimous” among others. The word may be good for sportsmen's names, if so. However, the Korean players owe much to their never-ending efforts and the support of their countrymen.

Of them, Kang Jung-ho, called “King Kang,” is the pioneer for his fellow hitters, having established himself as an everyday infielder ― third baseman, shortstop or second baseman, until (former) Chicago Cups' Chris Coghlan slide injured his knee and fractured his leg last September.

The Pirates compared his injuries to something sustained in a serious car accident. But he returned brilliantly 232 days after he suffered the devastating injuriy that brought his outstanding rookie season to a premature end.

In his comeback game on May 7 at Busch Stadium of St. Louis Cardinals, he blasted two home runs after hitting into three outs in his first two-at-bats for a 4-2 win against the host.

Pirates’ lefty Francisco Liriano, who picked up the win with 10 Ks in seven innings, exactly spoke for the Korean and American fans: “To see him do that today is amazing.”

How about Park Byung-ho, the undisputed Korean home run king who blasted more than 50 in a row in the previous three seasons in Korea?

The 29-year-old rookie slugger has nine home runs, the most in his team and fifth in the American League. He was the first Pirate to hit consecutive home runs this season as he powered a solo shot off Josh Tomlin of the Cleveland Indians in the second and added a two-run blast one inning later.

Although his batting average may be a risk at around .250, he has been a bright spot in a miserable start to the seasons for the Twins.

Lee Dae-ho, who had played in Korea and Japan since 2001 and settled in the U.S. this year, was really something of a curiosity, given his age of 33 and his size (listed at 6-foot-4, 250 pounds or 113 kg). But he has been winning a spot on the Mariners' roster with his professional approach at the plate and power strokes.

It was still vivid in our memory that Lee stopped the Mariners' five-game skid by belting a walk-off two run home run in the bottom of 10th on April 14 against the Texas Rangers.

Besides the “Three Hos,” Oh Seung-hwan, equipped with the fantastic nickname “Final Boss,” is comfortably assured a spot in the Cardinals' bullpen.

Veteran hitter Choo Shin-soo of the Texas Rangers and L.A. Dodgers pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin are coming back soon from the disabled list

How do Koreans do so well at the home of baseball?

In terms of history, Korean professional baseball is no match for the U.S. and Japanese sport. U.S. pro baseball started in 1869 when the Cincinnatti Red Stockings was founded and Japan in 1936, while Korea launched its professional league in 1982 with six clubs.

However, Korea with such a short history has been performing brilliantly in international competitions.

For example, Korea joined the last four in the inaugural World Baseball Classic (WBC) in 2006 and won the gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, though the U.S. sent Minor League players.

Korean baseball proved its prowess in November 2015 by becoming the inaugural champion in the WBC Premier 12 for the competition involving the world's top 12 countries.

It is no wonder that there are a lot of eyes on Korean players with more big league fates possibly residing on 2016 outcomes.

The increasing interest in Korean talent is expected to raise the potential cap on future posting fees of the Korean Baseball Organization for strong possibilities.

The outstanding performances of the Korean Major Leaguers also make a good bridge to enhance friendship between South Korea and the United States.

How many Koreans knew about U.S. cities or states like Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Seattle or Minnesota as well as Los Angeles or New York, if not for the Korean players?

Pittsburgh and Minnesota have got nice publicity thanks to Kang and Park.

I have no idea on whether or not the Three Hos and other Korean players will be playing so well throughout the season. But they will be great players; as Kang said, “If you are exposed to great experiences, you'll be a great player.”

It is still a pleasure for me to watch them every morning, whether they do well or not.

Park Moo-jong is the Korea Times advisor. He had served as the president-publisher of the nation's first English newspaper from 2004 to 2014 after he had worked as a reporter of the daily since 1974. He can be reached at moojong@ktimes. or emjei29@gmail.com.