August 14, 2015
GWANGJU （The Korea Timeｓ By Baek Byung-yeul, August 13, 2015） —
Korean star baseball player Kang Jung-ho, an infielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates, is arguably one of the best exports among Korean athletes this year.
Spending a tremendous nine seasons in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) recording a batting average of .298 with 139 home runs in 3,070 at bats as a shortstop, Kang inked a four-year deal with a fifth-year option with the Major League Baseball (MLB) club last winter.
Although he spent the early season on the bench, the 28-year-old player has been on a roll these days in his MLB debut season, dispelling worries about Kang's success in the world's most competitive baseball league.
Batting .379 (33-for-87) with 13 extra-base hits in July, Kang became the second Korean to win the National League (NL) Rookie of the Month, following former Chicago Cubs first baseman Choi Hee-seop who won the honor in April 2003.
Kang has collected enough at-bats to qualify for the batting title Tuesday making his time in the batter's box 341 times this season after going 1-for-4 against the St. Louis Cardinals. Among qualified batters in the NL, Kang placed 19th in batting average with .293 and 12th in on-base percentage with .367, establishing himself as a strong candidate for NL Rookie of the Year.
As Kang's career continues to thrive, Kang's alma mater Gwangju Jeil High School is getting a lot of attention.
The school has produced a number of MLB players, including Kang, a native of Gwangju and the school's fourth alumnus playing in the big league. The others include Seo Jae-weong, 38, who had 28 wins and 40 losses while pitching in the MLB for six seasons; former Arizona Diamondback closer Kim Byung-hyun, 36; and Choi, 36, who spent four seasons there as a first baseman. The three former big leaguers now play for the KBO's Gwangju-based Kia Tigers.
When Kang joined the Pirates, Kang's alma mater grabbed media attention for producing four big leaguers, surpassing Japan's renowned PL Gakuen High School in Osaka which has produced three — Masumi Kuwata, Kazuo Matsui and Kosuke Fukudome.
Gwangju Jeil High School has produced a slew of stars in the KBO such as former Tigers manager Sun Dong-yeol, who was nicknamed "national treasure" for his unhittable pitching; Lee Jong-beom, who won the Korean Series MVP as a rookie in 1993; and Seo Gun-chang, last season's KBO MVP second baseman.
Entering the school gate with a low fence on Aug. 11, a wide baseball field covered with artificial grass catches your eye. As the school is on summer vacation, it seemed to be empty except for few vehicles parked in the lot, and due to rain there were no players practicing.
Instead, some of the 37 players on the prestigious high school team gathered in small groups in the indoor training center, sweating their way through a practice session. Next to the players was head coach Kim Sun-seob, who was pointing out flaws of the student players.
Last month, the team won its first President's Cup National High School Baseball Tournament in eight years.
Not only his players but also Kim often gets affected by Kang's every day performances. "It is my routine to check Kang's stats. When he doesn't record a hit or commits an error, I feel down. On the other hand, when he does well in a game, like hitting a home run yesterday, I am in a good mood all day."
Tradition makes them strong'
Gwangju Jeil High School's baseball team was established in 1923, three years after the school opened. Since then, it has been atop major baseball tourneys 17 times, emerging as one of the top baseball high schools in the country.
On the secret of their strong performance, the head coach stressed that their tradition makes them stronger."We have been having pretty hard times since 2010 to bring in good players. Nevertheless, we have maintained the top rank because we believe in our tradition and take pride that we are the best high school baseball team in Korea," he said, adding he has been always emphasizing the school's motto — "Fulfilling loyalty and filial piety, inheriting tradition and cultivating ability."
Kim also emphasized that the school's well-equipped facilities contribute to the team's success. "As you see, we have quite good facilities so that players can concentrate on practicing baseball skills. Also, as we are situated in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula, we don't have to move to anywhere warm in the winter season," he said
(Read the full story on The Korea Times).
Kim Sun-seob, the head coach for the Gwangju Jeil High School baseball team, poses in his office during an interview with The Korea Times in Gwangju, Tuesday.
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