New Landers pitcher Hatch set to take 'baby steps' in KBO

Thomas Hatch, the new starting pitcher for the SSG Landers / Courtesy of SSG Landers

Korea will be the fourth country for American pitcher Thomas Hatch to play in, as the right-hander previously plied his trade in the United States, Canada and Japan.

Along the way, the new starting pitcher for the SSG Landers in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) has learned a valuable lesson that he tries to apply to his life on and off the field.

"Honestly, through the years, I've learned that just going day to day is the best, not trying to look so far into the future," Hatch told Yonhap News Agency on Wednesday at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, minutes after throwing his first bullpen session with his new team. "It's easier to handle a tough game like this if you just focus on the day at hand. Today, I was able to throw a good bullpen and then a few days down the road, it'll be to hopefully lead the team to a victory out on the mound. So I think (if you take) baby steps, big picture things will fall in place."

The Landers announced their signing of Hatch, 31, on Saturday and he is already traveling with the club while awaiting his work visa. He is replacing Mitch White, his former teammate with the Toronto Blue Jays in Major League Baseball (MLB). Hatch has another ex-Blue Jays teammate in the KBO, the Lotte Giants starter Jeremy Beasley.

Hatch said he heard "only good things" from them about their time in the KBO, and added what White and Beasley said about their living experience here stuck with him more than any baseball-related things.

"The biggest thing is that they said they really enjoyed it and they were treated really well. And I think that's the biggest factor in choosing to come here," Hatch said. "Obviously, you have to make it easy for a big transition in life and in baseball, too. I'm excited to learn and every game that I see, I learn a little bit more."

Hatch almost ended up in the KBO for the 2025 season. He signed a deal with the Doosan Bears in November 2024 but the Bears terminated that contract a month later over a failed physical.

In an earlier media scrum, Hatch said he harbored no hard feelings toward the Bears, with an understanding that the Bears only made "a business decision." He is now focused on taking advantage of his opportunity with the Landers.

"I've been interested in coming over for a few years so I've done a little bit of research," he said Wednesday. "But obviously, I think most learning happens in person. And so I'm excited to be able to experience that."

The season before the deal with the Bears fell through, Hatch had pitched for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). While living and playing in Asia for the first time there, Hatch said he learned how to be "adaptable."

"This game throws curveballs at you at every turn," he said. "You have to learn the baseball and you have to learn the culture. And being able to learn that in Japan, I think, gives me a leg up coming into Korea and being able to acclimate quicker. I'm confident that I'll be able to do that."

In terms of playing styles, Hatch feels he has experienced "the two extremes" in MLB and NPB. In the former, hitters swing for the fences at the expense of contact and willingly trade strikeouts for home runs. In the latter, hitters try to put the ball in play and foul off pitch after pitch to accomplish their goal.

"It seems like it's a little bit of both (in the KBO) so I'm excited to navigate that," Hatch said.

Now 31 years old with 103 Triple-A games and 51 MLB games under his belt, Hatch said he chose to come to the KBO to reestablish himself.

"A lot of people have jumpstarted their career into something special," Hatch said, noting how pitchers like Merrill Kelly, Erick Fedde and Kyle Hart charted their path back to MLB after enjoying success in Korea in recent years. "Obviously, that's ultimately the goal, to pitch really well to be able to play in the big leagues. But the immediate (goal) in the present is to help the Landers win and I feel like I can do that. This is an outstanding opportunity to play in a great country in front of great fans. The environment's amazing and I'm looking forward to learning more about the baseball as I go."

The Landers have the worst ERA in the league at 5.40 through Wednesday's action. They are still trying to climb out of a hole they dug themselves in during a recent 13-game losing skid — which saw them fall from fourth place to eighth place in the standings.

Hatch said he wants to contribute to a midseason turnaround.

"They sought me out and I'm flattered by that," he said. "I'm looking to inject some energy, maybe get us flowing in the right direction, do whatever I can to help the team win."