A son’s father reminds him of his love for baseball. This is the story of Samsung Lions’ Won Tae-in (23).
On the 20th, Won visited Daegu Citizen Baseball Stadium, where the Daegu Baseball Association’s long-term elementary and middle school baseball tournament was held. He was there to watch his father’s team, the Won Baseball Club, play against Kyungwoon. After being drafted by Samsung, Won played for the unemployment team Cheil Bank and coached Kyungwoon Kyungbokjung before starting his own club team.
Won Baseball Club defeated Kyungwoon 8-6. It was the team’s first official win since its inception in April 2021. They went on to win the championship with a 6-3 upset win over Daegu Middle School in the final on the 21st. This is the first time ever for a club team in Daegu.
“I hadn’t won in two years, and my dad said to me the day before the semi-finals, ‘It’s worth a try,’ so I went. I went to cheer once at a tournament in Gyeongju, and the kids were better than I thought. (Yesterday) was my day off, so I went to the stadium. He said, ‘If we win the first game, I’ll take you out to dinner,’ but I really didn’t think we would win, so my pocket money went out,” he laughed.
Won also met with the players whenever he could and tutored them. “I saw how hard they worked. They improved so much in a year. They did well despite being behind the elite players. It was even better to see my dad happy,” he said.
Watching the young athletes reminded Won of his former self. “I remembered myself in middle school. Watching them slide like amateurs made me feel what I was missing for some reason. I appreciated every little thing and thought that I should play baseball. It was a day game, so it was really hot, and watching them play reminded me of things I had forgotten.”
For Won Tae, a second-generation baseball player, his father is a role model and idol. “It’s cool to see my dad in charge on the field,” he says, “I wish he would stop getting sent off, but he keeps getting sent off. “I understand that sometimes the refereeing is shaky, but he’s still impatient. Seeing my dad’s competitiveness reminded me why I am so competitive.”메이저놀이터
Won went 4-5 with a 3.18 ERA in 15 appearances in the first half of the season. However, Samsung finished in last place. “I’m satisfied that I had a lot of quality starts (six innings or more, three earned runs or less, 10 appearances), but I want the team to win a lot. I want to win every game I go out there, and I want to win when I’m in the dugout. I want to win a lot in the second half.”
The second half of the season is important for the team and for Won. There’s also the Hangzhou Asian Games in September. “I’m in good shape,” Won said. I’ve had one break, and it’s been hard, so I’m in good shape after the All-Star break. There are important things at the end, so I will work hard for the next three months and finish with a smile on my face.”