In September 2021, national outfielder Min Byung-hun (37) abruptly announced his retirement. The decision was made after undergoing brain aneurysm surgery in January that year and agonizing over whether to continue playing as a player along with rehabilitation. When he announced his retirement, Min was 34 years old at the time when he was too young to let go of his bat and glove. Breaking up with baseball throughout his life was not easy, but he had to learn to give up a little early for a healthy life.
He had no regrets or regret in his career. After graduating from Deoksu High School, he joined the Doosan Bears as the 14th player in the second round of the rookie draft in 2006, and became the starting right fielder in 2013. Ahead of the 2018 season, he became the first free agent in his career and signed a four-year, 8 billion won contract with the Lotte Giants, which hit the jackpot. His 15-year career in the pro league totaled 1,438 games, a batting average of 0.295 (1,266 hits in 4285 times at bat), 99 homers, 187 steals, 578 RBIs and 751 runs. 카지노사이트 순위
As a member of the national team, he was called to the 2014 Incheon Asian Games and won the gold medal with 10 hits in 20 times at bat, and contributed to Korea’s rise to the first championship team at the 2015 WBSC Premier 12. Until the 2017 WBC (World Baseball Classic) and the 2019 Premier 12, he consistently held the position of the league’s top right fielder with the national flag.
Looking back on his brilliant days as a player, Min said, “My motto is ‘Let’s not regret it’. If I had practiced a little more then, I would have done better then, so I didn’t have to think about it at all. I practiced until my hands were torn. During baseball, I just acted like a crazy person and turned around, and I made myself forget about it,” Min said. “When I see the uniform, I feel sad and don’t miss it.”
A little more than two years after his retirement, Min is staying in Jeju Island. He established his residence in Seogwipo City in August last year and started work to develop youth baseball one by one. He serves as an ambassador for the Seogwipo Baseball Association and aims to make efforts to expand the base of baseball even in Jeju, where there is no professional baseball team.
“Just because you have no regrets about your career doesn’t mean you forgot about baseball. To be honest, I want to play baseball, but it’s not good for my health. I can’t forget baseball. I think it’s something I have to do for the rest of my life, and that’s why I found work related to baseball,” Min said.
“Jeju Island is becoming a sports mecca. It is true that baseball is a little weak compared to soccer, horseback riding, swimming, and fencing,” he added, adding that he is continuing to agonize over expanding the base.
Min Byung-hun will hold the first Min Byung-hun Baseball Camp in 2024 at Kang Chang-hak Park Baseball Stadium on the 14th. In earnest, he plans to meet with aspiring baseball players and donate his talent for free. It is hosted by the Seogwipo Baseball Club and the Seogwipo City Baseball Softball Association and sponsored by Shinshin Hotel, Gyeonghui Jeongdo Oriental Medicine Hospital, and Hyosung City Hospital. The Seogwipo City Sports Promotion Division also helped by sympathizing with the goal of expanding the baseball base.
Yoo Seung-an, chairman of the Korea Little Baseball Federation, also helped Min in various ways while preparing for the baseball camp. Yoo was the manager when Min served in the police baseball team, and he had known his son Yoo Won-sang and Min Byung-hun for a long time as they were seniors and juniors in middle school. Chairman Yoo took more care of Min as he tried to play Little Baseball. The camp will also be joined by Little Baseball teams in other regions such as Seoul and Busan. If students from Jeju Island are added, more than 100 people will gather.
Min Byung-hun said, “It’s not a one-off thing, but I will continue to try to revitalize Jeju Island’s Little Baseball and Youth Baseball. I’m grateful that Chairman Yoo Seung-an also gave me advice and helped me a lot. I want to help my young friends find their own baseball style and play baseball that they can do well.”