Park Chan-ho, Is It His Body or Heart?

Is he really ill? Or, is just he pretending? It would be fair to call the physical condition of Chan Ho Park (Texas Rangers) a mystery. After a 41-day sortie in the minor leagues, Park came back and pitched against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday. He threw 2 innings and lost four runs. He complained of stiffness and soreness in his right rib cage area and was relieved from his mound duties. Yesterday, Park and his club came up with different versions of diagnosis for Park`s condition. The Texas Rangers were still going through the results of tests done on injured pitcher Chan Ho Park, but said Thursday there were no indications of any unknown problems. On the other hand, Park confidently said, "I have never pitched in top condition for the past three years. Even not for one day." Which side is telling a lie?

Argument from Texas

The club had its team doctor conduct an MRI and bone-scan on Park, which lasted about nine hours. Yesterday, based on the examination, Rangers manager Buck Showalter said that "so far, there`s nothing that`s really thrown any red flags, other than the problems he`s already having. We`ll wait until everything`s in. We`ve got two or three guys poring over the results."

Argument from Park

At the press conference held at the clubhouse yesterday, Park told reporters that he had never pitched without any physical problems since 2001. He added, "I have just put up with the pain. The pain in my right rib cage area started when I threw against the Kansas City Royals on March 2." He also said that the pain would go away soon, but worried that there might be something wrong with his back or pelvis.

"I stretched myself a little. I kept pitching in the minor leagues. I will cure it this time," said Park. Listening to him, we get the impression that he is not in perfect shape though.

Aftermath and Prediction

Park signed a five-year, $65 million contract with the Texas Rangers. This year only, he will receive 12 million of it. Nonetheless, he has not pitched to the satisfaction of the club or the fans. Lots of voices have been heard calling for his dismissal from the team.

At the beginning, the situation was the other way around. The club said Park was not OK, while Park stated the contrary. Now, Park says he is ill, while the club says Park is OK.

It is hardly imaginable that the team manipulated the results. They know what penalties they would have to pay upon disclosure of the truth. Has Park come up with that theory as an excuse for his shoddy performance?

Nothing is clear for now. People can only guess that Park and the team are making preparations for a "divorce".

Chang Jeon jeon@donga.com