“Why are you eating?”
For Hanwha Eagles playing coach Jung Woo-ram (39), one of the most important mentors is Kim Sung-geun (83), the head coach of the Choice Baseball Monsters. Jung studied under Kim at the SK Wyverns and then the Hanwha Eagles. He is arguably the most influential coach in the professional game.
On the 12th, Jeong appeared on KBS N Sports commentator Kim Tae-gyun’s YouTube channel Tae-gyun [TK52] and talked about baseball while eating rice cake soup with Kim Tae-gyun. When the topic of manager Kim Sung-geun came up, Jung Woo-ram said, “Grandpa.
“I feel like a grandfather because I’ve known him for a long time, I’m comfortable with him, and I have a sense of respect for him,” he said. On the show, Jung revealed that in his second or third year, he was cursed out loud near the dugout after striking out too many batters. He then spent two months in the second team, where he developed his now-famous circle changeup.
He also shared another anecdote. “In the morning, the hotel said, ‘Hey, come over here. Why are you eating?” I said, “I’m eating to live.” Then the coach said, “Yeah, you should try to live in baseball. Just like you’re trying to eat to live, you should try to play baseball like that,” he said. He wanted me to want to play baseball even more.”
Kim is known as a coach who compares baseball to life and puts everything into it. Even in his 80s, his passion for baseball is unstoppable. That day, Kim’s words inspired Jung to rethink baseball, and he went on to pitch 1004 games, amassing 197 saves and 145 shutouts.
“My grandfather isn’t scary, he’s just amazing, and I think, ‘How did he do that? How can he do that, how can he do that. I think that’s why it’s harder for me. It was hard, but once I got past it, I realized that winning is the goal, and the results will follow. I think that’s why the players work harder.”
Kim Tae-gyun was also coached by Kim Sung-geun at Hanwha. The two shared anecdotes about their time at the Hanwha spring training camp and laughed for a while. After all, the training volume was huge, and Jung admitted that the pitchers were just as hard as the batters.
But with Playing Coach, he’s practically at the end of his baseball career. For now, he’ll focus on coaching, but he’ll see if and when he wants to build his body as a player. He said, “If my arm is good, I don’t know, but I don’t want to force it. I think I can do it when the team situation is good and everyone’s wishes are aligned. I don’t think I’m in a situation where I can put something out there.”
In conclusion, Jung said, “Because I have the title of player, I may or may not be able to pitch. I’m going to set my goal to play and give it a try.”