Bae Ji-hwan (24‧ Pittsburgh) chose to advance to the United States right after graduating from high school. In March 2018, after his twists and turns, he signed with Pittsburgh and crossed the Pacific Ocean. After that, he spent an overwhelmingly longer time in the US than in Korea.
Now, my English has improved a lot, and I have adapted to the local culture to the point where I can joke in English, but of course it was a thorny road at first. He had no one to take care of, and not many people were willing to lend a hand.바카라 Now, there are many people who have debuted on the major league stage and recognize it, but there is no easy way to soothe the basic ‘loneliness’ of living in a foreign country.
Bae Ji-hwan, who proudly participated in the team’s spring training as a major leaguer, smiled shyly and said, “In February (spring training period), the house price here rises a lot.” . He may get used to being alone, but his longing for Korea does not disappear.
Bae Ji-hwan says that the more he does, the stronger his identity as a ‘Korean’ becomes. The material of his recent tattoo on his arm was Taegeukgi. Bae Ji-hwan said, “I got a tattoo this time, but I put the Taegeukgi in it. The dog’s name is also Dokdo.”
So, the World Baseball Classic (WBC), which will be held in March, became another motivation for Bae Ji-hwan. He was not included in this list as there are many outstanding seniors in the national team,
When asked if he would like to play for the WBC, Bae Ji-hwan said, “Of course I think so.” I know very well that I need to improve my skills to do that. Bae Ji-hwan said, “If you call me, I will always go. That’s natural, and it should be.”
When Bae Ji-hwan had a big dream for the United States, he had friends who joined the KBO League club and are now stars representing the league. Bae Ji-hwan said, “I have some close players, but I contacted them separately. As I said at the time, I want them to do their best so that they don’t get hurt so as not to affect their season.” I think it will affect the next generation. I hope they show good performance.”
Success in the major leagues and a full-fledged journey to the national team Taegeuk mark begins now. Although he made his major league debut last year, he has only shown promise and is not yet firmly established. Bae Ji-hwan is well aware of this. So, rather than enjoying this spring training, which is his first time as a major leaguer, he honestly says, “There are parts that make me a little more nervous.”
However, Bae Ji-hwan said, “I had to prepare as diligently as I could, so there were some good things as well.” Compared to foreign players, I lacked strength, so I tried to develop it. I am confident in running,” he promised thorough preparation. Attention is focusing on whether 2023 can be the starting point for a big goal.