Going to the Mound Often Makes Me Strong Hearted

An interview with SK Wyverns pitcher Um Jung-wook:

--Was he born left-handed?

(Um Jung-wook) “It has been so long that I can’t remember, but my parents tell me I was an innate lefty. Although I use my right hand when I play baseball, I still often use my left hand, when I count money and play go-stop.”

--Does he a have secret for throwing hard fastballs?

He does not. He says his pitch is just fast. According to Um, “I have never trained to throw hard, but my pitch was faster than the others. When I was attending Joongang High School, my pitching speed was about 145 km/h, the fastest out of those in my age group.” In other words, he is a born pitcher. He also holds the record for the fastest pitch thrown in Korea, which was clocked at 158 km/h.

--Is he a faint-hearted pitcher?

Um is a very introverted person. People around him tell him that he is so shy that he won’t even look at the person to whom he is talking. For that reason, Um dislikes interviews the most. Hence, when he has his inevitable interviews with newspapers and broadcasters, a member of the team’s public relation department prepares him a script.

“I am just a very shy guy, but with the help of my teammates, I have become more outgoing. But I still don’t like interviews because they keep asking me questions when I have nothing further to say.”

--Did he almost become a commercial model?

Last year, Um just asked the team’s public relations department out of the blue to appear in a commercial. He wanted to appear in the team’s owner company, “Speed 011’s” mobile communication commercial. When asked why, he answered, “The commercial just perfectly fits my image,” sending the public relations department into a bout of laughter.

SK Wyverns Public Relations Director Park Chul-ho said, “Considering that such a reticent guy thought about such a thing, this means that he has grown quite a lot.” Who knows? If Um keeps succeeding, he might appear in a mobile communication commercial.

--Did he go through harsh training to refine his ball control?

Well, he said there was no peculiar training that many fans had imagined. “My pitching control began to improve during this year’s spring camp in Japan, and as I appeared in more games, pitched more often, my control automatically improved. I think confidence is the most important factor. In the past, when I would go to the mound I would be afraid that I might throw a wild pitch, but now I enjoy pitching.”

--Um Jung-wook’s goal is to become the best pitcher in Korea?

His dream is very grand. “I want to become like my idol Lee Sang-hoon and pitch in Korea, Japan, and the U.S. pro leagues,” said Um. Perhaps he might be exaggerating too much, but who knows?

Sang-Soo Kim ssoo@donga.com