Don’t Ask About My Past

LG’s left-handed pitcher Seo Seung-hwa (LG, show on picture) has an Internet fan-cafe that is quite different from other fan-cafes. The fan-cafe is composed of fans who criticize the player and have names such as “That’s too much,” or “Anti-Seo Seung-hwa.” During the first half of this baseball season, Seo has become infamous by having been ejected four times and breaking his own record for ejections. He earned the nickname of “menace of the ground” by hitting batters’ helmets twice, throwing a threatening ball, and tripping a runner with his foot. His bad sportsmanship led to fans wave placards saying, “Hard fighting you, leave the game” during LG games. Although Seo claims his actions were unintentional, the fans are still unforgiving.

Seo, who had a gloomy first half, went to the seashore during the All-Star break and tried to find inner peace. He watched the endless horizon, refreshed his mind, and left his past behind.

With a new state of mind, Seo started the second half of the season in a different form. On July 20 in LG’s game against Kia at Jamsil, he relieved the pitcher in the 7th inning, threw a 156km fastball – the fastest ever for a Korean left hander – and finished the inning with two strikeouts, extending LG’s three-game winning streak. Seo also showed a more mature side by politely bowing to the umpire when he came to the mound. His fans also did not spare support, and held a placard saying, “Seung-hwa, cheer up.”

LG’s pitching coach Cha Myung-suk said, “I was worried because Seung-hwa, although he does not look so, is quite a sensitive and tearful guy, but he looks brighter now,” and suggested Seo would be important for the second half. In other words, Cha plans to start Seo, rather than use him as a reliever, and the July 28 game against Samsung is likely to be the D-day. Cha wants Seo, who averaged around 30 pitches a game during the first half, to increase his pitch count to about 80.

Seo said, “I will not focus on my pitch speed, but rather play an important part in improving my team’s record. I will leave behind all the bad memories of the first half, and will throw confidently on the mound.”

Jong-Seok Kim kjs0123@donga.com