(Asian Games) S. Korean baseball captain ready to share wisdom with teammates
SEOUL, Aug. 18 (Yonhap) -- In an international career spanning a decade, South Korean baseball star Kim Hyun-soo has grown from an up-and-comer with a flair for the dramatic to a grizzled veteran tasked with leading young players.
After helping South Korea to a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a 20-year-old sensation, Kim will now try to do the same at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia as the captain.
South Korean national baseball team captain Kim Hyun-soo speaks at a press conference in Seoul on Aug. 18, 2018, ahead of the team's first practice for the Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games. (Yonhap)
"It's an honor to be named captain, and playing for the national team is putting the country ahead of individuals," Kim said at a press conference Saturday ahead of the team's first practice. "I am sure I am not the only one here feeling the weight of responsibility."
If captaincy is to be based as much on merit as leadership skills, manager Sun Dong-yol appears to have picked the right man for the job.
Playing for the LG Twins in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), all Kim does is hit. He is a career .323 hitter in the KBO, third among active hitters with at least 3,000 plate appearances. This season, his first back in the KBO after two mostly unsuccessful seasons split with the Baltimore Orioles and the Philadelphia Phillies, Kim has returned to his mashing ways.
He is the league leader in hits (164), runs scored (95) and multi-hit games (48), and is tied for first place in RBIs (101) and doubles (39). With a .364 batting average, Kim is third in the category.
Kim, 30, has also excelled in international play. He has represented the country at two previous Asian Games and two previous World Baseball Classics. In 38 international appearances, Kim has a .390 batting average.
He said there's so much more that he's learned over his international career than figuring out how to hit foreign pitchers.
"When I first made the national team 10 years ago, I didn't really know anything, and I've learned a great deal since," he said. "And I'd like to share my knowledge and wisdom with younger guys this time."
jeeho@yna.co.kr
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