SEOUL, They were teammates in South Korea for four years and have been close friends for more. But starting in 2024, Lee Jung-hoo of the San Francisco Giants and Kim Ha-seong of the San Diego Padres will have to put their friendship aside when their clubs duke it out as National League (NL) West rivals.
Kim, 28, made the jump first from the Kiwoom Heroes in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) to Major League Baseball (MLB). He signed with the Padres on New Year's Eve in 2020 and has since developed one of the top defensive players. He won the NL Gold Glove at the utility position this year after being a finalist at shortstop in 2022.
Lee, 25, joined him in the big leagues this week after signing a six-year, US$113 million contract with the Giants. There were rumors that the Padres, after trading away two outfielders, Juan Soto and Trent Grisham, would sign Lee and reunite him with Kim, but the Giants acquired the 2022 KBO MVP instead.
In this file photo from Nov. 13, 2023, South Korean baseball players Kim Ha-seong (L) and Lee Jung-hoo attend Game 5 of the Korean Series at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul.
As divisional rivals, the Padres and the Giants will face each other 14 times in 2024.
"It's surreal and also exciting at the same time to be facing him so often," Lee said at his introductory press conference at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Friday (local time). "In Korea, he was my spiritual leader. I was able to start dreaming big dreams because of all the good advice he gave me. I will be asking him a lot of questions going forward."
Incidentally, Lee will be playing under the very manager that Kim had until last season, Bob Melvin. Melvin left the Padres after two seasons and will now be managing another Korean star.
"Ha-seong told me I will be playing under a great manager," Lee said. "He reached out and congratulated me on my move."
South Korean baseball fans will also be salivating over another NL West rivalry. Shohei Ohtani, a two-way sensation from Japan, recently signed a 10-year, $700 million megadeal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the perennial NL West powerhouse. Games for both Lee and Kim will be readily available for television and streaming audience in South Korea, and fans here will get a healthy dose of Ohtani, too, with the Dodgers playing the Giants and the Padres 14 times each.
When asked about the prospect of going up against Ohtani, Lee smiled and hesitated for a few moments before simply saying, "I will do my best."
Source: Yonhap News Agency