Don’t try to go up, go forward. “That’s what San Diego Padres special advisor Chan Ho Park, 50, the first Korean big leaguer and Asia’s winningest pitcher (124 wins), told Ha-Sung Kim, 28, the first Korean to win a Major League Baseball Gold Glove .It’s advice that stuck with Kim. When the topic of Kim’s Gold Glove win came up, Park’s face lit up. “I met with him several times in Korea after the season ended, and he said, ‘What you said to me last year really touched me,'” Park said .Last year, Kim attended the Chan Ho Park Scholarship Presentation Ceremony and had a long conversation with Park afterward.” I told him, ‘Don’t just keep trying to climb up. You need to look ahead, not up, and move forward. That’s the way to be a mature player,'” Park recalls. “He said, ‘Don’t get caught up in the numbers like batting average, but improve your skills with a long-term perspective.’ “Kim entered the major leagues in 2021 and played 117 games in his first year, batting .202 with eight home runs, 34 RBIs and six doubles .In 2022, he batted .251 with 11 home runs, 59 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases in 150 games, but it wasn’t enough to satisfy him. “After the 2022 season, he seemed to feel pressure to ‘do better,'” Park recalls, “and I was worried that he would lose confidence. “This year, Kim played in 152 games, batting .260 with 17 home runs, 60 RBIs, and 38 stolen bases. He was so dominant on offense that multiple local media outlets called him “San Diego’s lone bright spot this year.”
He also won a Gold Glove, which is awarded to the best defender at each position in both leagues. Kim was honored as a utility infielder. He is the first Korean to win a Gold Glove, and only the second Asian player to do so since Ichiro Suzuki (10 consecutive years from 2001-2010).After the season, Kim thanked his advisor, Chan Ho Park, saying, “Your advice to move forward changed me, and I was so touched by it. “Park responded, “I’m even more grateful that he said that.” “The San Diego team was also very happy to see him win the Gold Glove, and it was very meaningful to them,” he added .While watching Kim overcome setbacks to become a big leaguer, Park also thought about his own past.”I joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1994, but until 1995, I was a player who stayed in the minor leagues longer. At the time, I was very disappointed, but the club told me, ‘You just need time. Don’t give up or get frustrated,'” said Park. “Kim Ha-soo must have had a very difficult first year in the big leagues. However, the San Diego organization believed in his strength. When I think of his timeline, I have mixed feelings about how he overcame difficult times and became a Gold Glove winner. “Now, advisor Park Chan-ho emphasizes “humility” to Kim. “Recently, I told him, ‘Now you need to be more humble. Keep a good friend by your side and learn,'” he said. “But Kim is already a humble player. The San Diego team is well aware of his character. One of the reasons they signed him was his character. “Advisor Park also shared a story that reveals Kim’s character.” When he left the team, he wrote a long letter to former San Diego manager Bob Melvin (now manager of the San Francisco Giants) and thanked him,” Park said. “I also thanked my minor league coach when I went up to the big leagues. “I thanked my minor league coach when I was coming up to the big leagues, too.” Kim has the 스포츠토토존 good character to be aware of his surroundings and thank those who help him.