Jang Hyun-seok (Masan Yongmago), the youngest and only amateur player on the baseball team, boarded the plane to Hangzhou with nerves and excitement.

The Korean baseball team, led by head coach Ryu Jung-il, departed for Hangzhou, China, the host city of the Asian Games, on Aug. 28 through Incheon International Airport.

The team first convened on the 23rd and trained for two consecutive days until the 24th, 온라인카지노 then took a day off on the 25th. On the 26th, the team completed a practice check with a scrimmage against Sangsung, and on the 27th, they held their final training session.

The team will now head to Hangzhou for two days of local acclimatization training on the 29th and 30th.

The players and coaching staff arrived at the airport around 9:30 a.m. and were warmly greeted by many fans.

Jang Hyun-seok was particularly popular. He was the first to leave the airport and was bombarded with autographs from fans, especially those who brought LA Dodgers jerseys. Jang Hyun-seok graciously signed the Dodgers jerseys. He also took photos with the fans.

Jang Hyun-seok has been on the radar of the baseball world since his days with the Masan Yongmago. He is a hard-throwing pitcher whose fastball can reach up to 158 kilometers. His performance attracted American scouts to the ballpark to watch him play.

After debating between entering the draft and playing in the major leagues, Jang chose the American challenge and signed a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers for $900,000. The Asian Games will prove the Dodgers right.

“When I trained with the seniors I had only seen on TV, I realized that the professional world is definitely different. I was really happy,” he recalled of his training in Gocheok.

As the youngest, Jang actively approached his older brothers and talked to many pitchers, especially Ko Woo-seok, asking him about his slider.

He said, “I wanted to learn Woo-seok’s slider. I was so happy and honored to have this opportunity. I was also grateful that my other brothers took care of me a lot,” he smiled.

Jang Hyun-seok made his presence felt in practice. In a scrimmage against Commerce on the 26th, Jang Hyun-seok, the team’s third pitcher, came up in the sixth inning and threw one hitless inning with two strikeouts and no walks. His fastball reached 154 kilometers.

Jang said, “I was a little nervous because it was my first time playing against the seniors. I’m glad that the nerves turned into good results,” he said.

His position has yet to be determined, but Jang’s presence on the national team cannot be ignored.

As the only amateur on the team, Jang has a sense of mission, saying, “I don’t know how I’m going to get there, but if you trust me, I’ll do my best as much as I can in that position.”