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Park Chan-ho |
By Kim Jae-won
Staff Reporter
Philadelphia Phillies reliever Park Chan-ho has his sights set on becoming the winningest Asian pitcher of all time in Major League Baseball (MLB).
After the 35-year-old South Korean grabbed career win No. 120 and his third win this season against the Boston Red Sox in an interleague game at home on Sunday, he's now just three shy of Japanese pitcher Hideo Nomo for the Asian record.
Nomo made his big-league debut in 1995 and played 12 seasons, retiring while with the Kansas City Royals in July 2008.
Park has pitched well since losing his starting role earlier this season. However, it remains to be seen how many opportunities he will have for wins as a reliever.
Park debuted in MLB with the Los Angels Dodgers in 1994, but didn't begin to shine until two years later. In 1996, the Hanyang University graduate won five games and posted an ERA of 3.64. The following year, Park had a breakout season, notching 14 wins. The Gongju city native followed that up with win totals of 15, 13, 18 and 15 during the 1998 to 2001 seasons.
But Park was never the same after he signed a five-year, $65 million (84.5 billion won) contract with the Texas Rangers in 2002 _ the most lucrative contract ever for a Korean athlete. Park went 9-8 in his first season with the Rangers but injuries limited him to seven starts in 2003 and 16 in 2004. He was traded to the San Diego Padres during the 2005 season. After spending another year with the Padres, Park spent most of 2007 in the minors, first with the New York Mets and then the Houston Astros.
Park made a comeback of sorts last year when he returned to the Dodgers as a reliever. He was 4-4 with a 3.40 ERA in 54 appearances, including five starts.
Park joined the Phillies this season and after seven starts, he was sent to the bullpen, where he has pitched well since.
The 2001 National League (NL) All-Star is also chasing Nomo's records for career strikeouts and innings pitched. He is 291 strikeouts shy of Nomo's 1,918 and needs 83 innings to match Nomo's 1,976.
Park was a trailblazer for many Korean baseball players, including LG Twins starter Bong Jung-keun and Kia Tigers infielder Choi Hee-seop, who both followed Park to the big leagues. Outfielder Choo Shin-soo is now in his second full season with the Cleveland Indians.
Park's career record is 120-93 with an ERA of 4.39 as of Tuesday.
shosta@koreatimes.co.kr
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