Discussions
"I want to steal Ko Young-pyo's changeup" - a ridiculous remark... Why?
"I want to steal Young-pyo Koh's changeup."
The hitter on the verge of 'legend' status explains why he wants to bring a pitcher's ability, not another hitter's.
The KBO League media day for the 2024 season was held at Lotte Hotel in Sogong-dong, Seoul on Tuesday. The players were asked, "If you could take away something that another player has, what would it be?" Kim Hye-sung of the Kiwoom Heroes said, "I'd like to bring Gu Ji-wook's (Samsung) height and contact ability." When asked if he doesn't need Gu's good looks, he said, "I don't need looks to play baseball."
The microphone was handed over to Son. He suddenly pointed to Ko Young-pyo (KT), who was sitting next to him. Son is a veteran hitter who won the batting average and most hits titles last season. He has 2,416 hits in his professional career. He has a very good chance of breaking Park Yong-taek's record of 2504 hits this year. He"ll join the ranks of living legends. Son even mentioned 200 hits as a goal for this season. He said that it motivates him to reach a record that not many people have done before he gets another year older.
Suddenly, it was Young-pyo Ko. "I want to steal his changeup," Son said. Young-pyo Koh is the best submarine in the league, cooking hitters with his fastball-changeup two-pitch arsenal. His masterpiece changeup earned him a massive five-year, $10.7 billion non-free agent contract.
"Then I can become the first Korean Idoryu," Son said. "I want to be a pitcher and a hitter. I want to be both a pitcher and a hitter. I'm greedy for baseball," he laughed.
Shohei Ohtani (LA Dodgers), an Idoru myth, played in front of Korean fans in the Seoul Series. But is it possible to have a player like Ohtani in Korean baseball? "To be an Idoryu, you have to be a regular designated hitter when you're not pitching," says Son. "To do that, you have to be able to perform really reliably like Ohtani," he said. "I think the manager's disposition is important. If the manager actively pushes him, he can definitely produce players like Otani in Korea," he replied seriously.
Kim Joo-won is also a shortstop with very strong shoulders. He used to pitch until middle school. "My high school coach didn't want me to be a two-hitter, so I chose to be a hitter. I thought I could play baseball longer than a pitcher, so I was drawn to the sport," he said.