The joke’s on us.
Former major leaguer Kang Jeong-ho recently shared a video of himself dining with Choi Ji-won (32) and Kim Ha-seong (28) of the San Diego Padres in a private broadcast. At the time of filming, Choi was playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Kim was playing for San Diego. The three former and current big leaguers got together to talk about various things related to Major League Baseball (MLB), and when Kang Jung-ho realized that San Diego was lacking a designated hitter (DH), he asked Choi, “Is there a possibility of a trade?”. Choi responded in a joking tone, saying, “There are always a lot of possibilities.”
However, a few days after the broadcast, Choi was traded to San Diego and actually joined Kim Ha-seong. “We talked about it a week ago as a joke, but it felt good to make it a reality,” Choi laughed in an interview with San Diego radio station Sports760 reporter March Caswell on May 5 (KST). Kim Ha-seong, who was also interviewed, echoed the sentiment, saying, “It felt so good to have a Korean player here, and it felt even better that Ji Man brought his brother in a trade to help the team win.”
The two players started side-by-side in a home game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday. It’s only the second time in history that two Koreans have started side-by-side in a big league game. Choi made Korean MLB history in a Pittsburgh uniform when he started alongside Bae Ji-hwan against the Cincinnati Reds on April 3.
In San Diego, he formed another Korean duo with Kim Ha-seong, who said, “(I’ve) been to the playoffs every year, so I have that kind of energy. (San Diego) has great weather and a great team, so I think I’ll get along with the players quickly,” he said, adding, “I didn’t know (Kim), but we got along quickly because we were overseas.”카지노
When asked, “What did Kim Ha-seong tell you about San Diego,” Choi said, “I want him to come because the team and the players are so good. We talked a lot about the synergy we could have.” “Padres fans like Koreans a lot, so I hope a lot of fans will (cheer) for Ji Man to feel that,” Kim said.
Both players dream of a “fall” in San Diego. With 55 wins and 56 losses through six days, the Padres are in fourth place in the National League West. Nine games behind the division-leading Dodgers, the Padres’ chances of making the postseason (PS) are not great. However, the team is trying to stay afloat after acquiring Choi in a trade. “I’m looking forward to it because every game is important. I want to win every game,” Choi said.