This was the determination conveyed by Lee Jeong-hoo, the 150 billion won man who made a golden comeback.
San Francisco Lee Jeong-hoo returned today (19th) afternoon with a great achievement. Lee Jung-hoo greeted the fans with a bright smile and waved his hand.
Lee Jeong-hoo, who said he was more nervous today when he returned to Korea than when he joined the team at the press conference, said,
Now that I have achieved my primary goal, I think my second goal has become to go to the major leagues and do well.” 카지노사이트랭크
From the ‘Handsome?’ at the induction ceremony, to the behind-the-scenes stories of the time spent in the United States after stepping foot on Oracle Park, and even to the plans for the future.
Lee Jeong-hoo, who said, “I’m a left-handed hitter, so I want to try to record the first splash hit,” will stay in Korea for a month and prepare for his first season in the major league. The following is a Q&A
= First of all, thank you for coming out despite the cold. I think I’m more nervous now than at the press conference.
When did you start dreaming of playing in the major leagues ? = I had this dream since I was in elementary school, but I put it aside later
but it wasn’t until I saw the Olympics that I started dreaming again. -When you were in elementary school
you said on an entertainment program with your father that your dream was to play in the major leagues.
If you remember that time, I watched it too. I feel like I’ve achieved my first goal, and now my second goal is to go to America and do well.
I heard that the moment you received an offer worth over 100 million dollars, you sat down and covered your head with joy.
That was the first offer. Even though I can’t reveal the details of the negotiation, it’s an honor to go to a prestigious team called San Francisco.
I think I should prepare well and repay the team for investing in me with a performance that lives up to their expectations. (My legs) felt a little loose.
In some ways, I actually finished early compared to my seniors. So, I think I had a lot of mixed emotions.
How did you feel when you stepped on Oracle Park ? = It was my first time going to a major league team other than when I went on a field trip to Kiwoom, and it was really good.
The moment I entered the stadium itself, it really looked like a major league stadium and is one of the most beautiful baseball stadiums in the United States.
As soon as I entered, all I could think was, ‘It’s huge, it’s magnificent, it’s good.’ -What did you do after the induction ceremony and before coming in?
The club said I wanted to watch basketball, so they prepared a table for me so I could watch basketball as well.
Before the induction ceremony, I said I wanted to exercise, so I was thankful that he did everything I wanted by making me exercise.
If you walk around, they recognize you a lot = I think they recognize me more than I thought because I am Asian.
When you were introduced at the NBA stadium, there was a lot of cheering. How did it feel? = I didn’t know it was me at first.
My brother introduced me, so I saw it and was shocked to see it was me. Thank you so much for your welcome and welcome.
English was a hot topic during the induction ceremony. Did you prepare ? = Yes, I prepared, but actually, I don’t think it came out as well as I did when I prepared.
When I was in Korea, foreign players expected us to speak Korean well and they didn’t expect us to speak Korean.
So, when I felt like it was just cool to see people trying to speak Korean like that even if they weren’t good at it.
If I had the chance, I wanted to show myself speaking in English, but it didn’t work out as well as I thought, so I think I’ll have to try harder.
If there are any preparations or efforts made to adapt , I think we should now slowly prepare for adaptation.
First of all, there will be no problem at all in terms of food while I’m there, so I think I’ll have to prepare well for baseball.
Were you able to feel the expectations placed on you on site ? =No. To be honest, rather than the expectation of a large amount of money
what I remembered most was what the agent said. It is true that I felt a little burdened when I first received such an offer.
You told me not to feel pressured as it was a reward for playing baseball since I was young, so I think my expectations are a bit high now rather than a burden.
It’s posted every day on San Francisco’s SNS, and even the dog Kao has become known.
I’m grateful that they’re taking a lot of care of me, and since it’s still my first time, I think I need to prepare well and show my best side right away.
Following Otani’s induction ceremony, San Francisco seems to have responded by offering Lee Jeong-hoo’s dog = I heard that the club holds a dog day twice a year.
So, I think he introduced me to me when I told him I was raising a dog too.
First of all, I honestly think the comparison with Ohtani makes no sense. I just think that I just need to do what I have to do and work hard.
Even if you label it that way, I don’t think it’s too much of a burden because I’m not a player who can actually compare to Otani.
What led to the final decision to go to San Francisco ? There were many clubs, but the manager came to Korea first and I felt like he wanted me the most during negotiations. I can’t tell you the details
but I think I made the decision quickly because I thought it would be an honor to be able to play for a team with a long history.
I think having Ohtani in our district rival Dodgers will motivate us. =I don’t think this can be matched. Ohtani is the best baseball player in the world right now, and I’m still a player just getting started, so there’s really no comparison.
Because there is no comparison in terms of contract amount. -They say there will be homework on adapting to the fast ball. How do you prepare?
=Actually, I changed my form this year, and the United States actually evaluated me more favorably because of that.
I did that because I wanted to do better this year, but they also told me that they highly valued my efforts to make changes when I was doing my best.
First, I plan to tackle it. Because you hit it, your body will change to fit it. Also, since I’m still young
I think I can adapt more quickly, so I’m thinking of going and giving it a try for now.
-I wasn’t here today, but my father, coach Lee Jong-beom, said, ‘I’m jealous of my son.’
= First of all, I’m grateful to my father, but I don’t think I could have grown this much without my mother’s dedication. Of course, I got a lot of help from my father
but her mother did everything my father couldn’t do for me during his active duty days, so I want to say I’m really grateful to my mother.
I would like to say that I am truly grateful that my dad also believes in me and has never once opposed my choices and he has always believed in me.
-What part of the contract
are you most satisfied with? I’m grateful for everything, but it was nice to be able to donate in the meantime.
In the United States, there is a culture of donating to the local community when a local player does well, so I was proud to be able to include some of that donation.
-What goals are you thinking about for next season
? = I think I need to think about it now. I still don’t really realize that I signed this contract, and it still feels like I just went to the United States to exercise
but as I start to realize it little by little, I think I should set my goals from then on. It doesn’t quite feel real yet.
-My home team Kiwoom also received a lot of money.
=I hope they spend more for the players. Of course, there is enough now, but I hope more is used for the players.
-If I follow in the footsteps of Kim Ha-seong and become successful, I think it will be a great motivation for players who advance to the U.S. through the KBO League.
=I think my friends and junior players who are similar to me can further their dreams. There are many players who are much more talented and outstanding than me
so I would like to tell them that they should not be complacent and work harder. If you work harder and do better
opportunities will come to you in the future, so I hope you do better and have big goals.
-Just as I dreamed of playing in the major leagues when I was young, I think if I succeed, it will be of great help to younger players as well.
=First of all, I think Ha-seong has done so well from last year to this year that I benefited from that. Since I can’t ruin what my brother has done so well
I want to work hard and continue to leave a positive impression on Korean baseball players.
I believe that only then will a path be created for many players to take on new challenges, so I will work hard with a sense of responsibility.
-I have to compete in the same district as Kim Ha-seong.
=First of all, it is my first time meeting as an opposing team, so I am both excited and looking forward to it.
– While watching the major leagues, are there any players that you have thought about like playing against this player or playing with him
? = I have often thought that it would be great if I could just play there, but I don’t think I have ever thought about who I would like to play with.
-Is there a record you want?
= I heard that splash hits are famous, and since I am a left-handed hitter, I would like to try it.
-If there is anything to prepare because Oracle Park is a pitcher-friendly stadium.
=Once I got there, the right side definitely felt short, but it was very high. And it’s wide in the middle right.
Rather, I think that if I can utilize my strengths, it will be a better home stadium for me. Because I am not a home run hitter, but I think I am a player who can hit right and left.
I think it would be a good stadium for me if I played to my strengths.
-What do you think the center fielder will do defensively?
= Left center is okay, but right center will be a bit difficult. It feels like Lions Park all the way to left and center.
Right-center is a little deeper and the fence in right-center is made of bricks, so if you go toward right-center
you don’t know where the ball will hit and bounce, so you need to pay attention to that.
-What I want to do for my parents
= I want to do everything they ask me to do. However, my parents are not the kind of people who would do that
so I would like to prepare well and do something for them with good sense.
-What did you talk about with Go Woo-seok, who is challenging for the major league
? = Woo-seok contacted me to congratulate me. Actually, we didn’t talk about the contract, we only talked about my nephew and how he was doing.
-What kind of discussion did you have with Kim Ha-seong?
= After the contract was confirmed, the first thing I contacted my brother was, and what he said was, ‘It’s good because now I get to play baseball under a good manager.’
Under a really good coach, he only told me good things like, all you have to do is play your baseball well.
-I want to play on the same team as Kim Ha-seong.
= It would be good to play on the same team as Ha-seong. There are so many teams and I don’t know what will happen, but it would be great to play on the same team again.
-Kim Hye-seong is also preparing to enter the major league.
=I also knew from the article that Hyeseong was preparing. Hyesung is a very greedy friend, prepares well, and is very good at baseball. If I prepare well all winter this year
I think Hyeseong is a friend who can sign a good contract and go to a good club next year.
I hope he doesn’t get hurt and just prepares well like Hyesung did and goes to the US with a good contract.
-As for my future schedule
, I have to get a visa and I think I will continue to train until I enter the United States.
-Was the ‘Handsome?’ question at the induction ceremony that became a hot topic among fans impromptu.
= Yes. Like now, all I can hear is the sound of the camera shutter. I was wearing the uniform and it felt a little awkward, so that was the only thing that came to mind.
-This year’s training plan
= I started exercising earlier this year and have been exercising since October 20th. Even after going to the United States
I have continued to train, so my physical condition is really good. And since it is a bit cold in Korea
I plan to go to the United States as soon as my schedule comes out and get in shape.
(About the hitting form) I have no intention of modifying it right now and am just planning to hit it for now.
-I’m a rookie again in the U.S., but the goal I want to achieve in San Francisco is
= I’ve never won a championship before, so I want to win the championship.
When I think back to when I was a rookie, I went through the season without thinking that I would win rookie of the year.
Just do your best every day and if you get good results, it’s something to think about then
rather than setting a goal from the beginning. I hope to help the team win.
-What I want to say to the Kiwoom Heroes fans
= I am truly grateful for the past 7 years, and even in the U.S., when I had time, I always saw the cheers and cheers from the fans when I entered the final at-bat of the last home game, and I was really grateful.
I will always remember that support and cheers and engrave them in my heart and work hard in America as well.
I will do well again as a former Heroes player, so I hope you will support me a lot.
-If you would like to say hello to Korean baseball fans
, there must have been some fans who didn’t support me because their teams were different
but now I’m leaving Korea and taking on the challenge of playing on the American stage.
I ask for your support and I know better than ever that the fans support me like this in the morning, so I will work hard to repay the fans with great plays.