"Japanese professional baseball is the parent who raised me." On the contrary, I am the parent who gave birth to Korean professional baseball."토토사이트
Jang Hoon, an 85-year-old veteran baseball player in Japan, said, "I am not bragging about it in my home country. I say so to him, who was born in Japan and has spent more than 70 years in baseball alone, because Korean baseball is a living thing forever.
He first visited his native country when he was in high school. While playing with him, he gained a sense of nationality and strong pride and confidence as a Korean. In 1975, the Korean government earnestly asked Jang Hoon and Shin Kyuk-ho, owners of the Lotte Marines of Japan, to "lead Korean professionals to Korea and show them the essence of professional baseball." Jang Hoon met with the presidents of Japan's two major leagues and won cooperation. He led an away team as a player-manager and played a game in Seoul. At that time, he brought Japanese professional baseball referees to teach them.
He drew the foundation for the creation of the Korean professional baseball league. A few years before its inauguration, Jang discussed with Lee Yong-il (former KBO Secretary-General) and Lee Ho-heon (former KBO Deputy Secretary-General) where to put the teams and how many teams to form, and came up with the plan. They also prepared a list of candidates for the first presidential election. They invited owners of the Yomiuri Giants of Japan`s pro baseball league to the opening game. Jang contributed significantly to the establishment of the pro baseball league by consistently sending out many Korean players in Japan. As such, Jang loved and cherished his home country and Korean baseball.
At a recent Japanese media conference, Jang Hoon criticized Korean baseball players for their lack of loyalty and ignorance of gratitude. Despite serving as a special advisor for the president of the Korea Baseball Organization for 24 years, he has never been invited to the Korean Series. There were many other disappointing things, so he must have expressed his sense of betrayal, saying that he has lived with loyalty and recognition all his life.
In fact, his loyalty and recognition are famous in the Japanese baseball community. In particular, he was insulted as "cancer of Japanese baseball" just because he is close to influential figures of Koreans in Japan, but he did not betray them. He did not betray his trust. It was also loyalty to his mother country that really helped Korean baseball. "Loyalty" was the absolute value of life.
Some Koreans regard Jang Hoon as "just an old Korean baseball player who was good in Japan." However, he was an extraordinary player. Japan called him a "Korean hero," but he was also a hero of Japanese baseball.
In sports, "untouchable" is used when a player's record is too good to be exceeded by anyone. Joe DiMaggio's 56th consecutive hit in a game and Wilter Chambers' 100 points in a game are considered "untouchable." DiMaggio's 83 years ago, and Chamberlain's 63 years ago. However, no player has gone anywhere near him yet.
Jang Hoon's 3,085 hit that he made in 1980 is one of the three records in the history of Japanese pro baseball in 1990. Japanese media outlets that like to use English call his record "untouchable." No more modifiers are needed. That is enough to describe how amazing Jang Hoon is. He had an average batting average of 0.319 for 23 years and was the batting champion seven times. His career record of .300 for 16 years and .300 for 9 consecutive years was also the only record in Japan. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990.
It is considered one of the seven wonders of Japanese baseball that Jang Hoon did not coach. He was offered four times, but he refused all of them. In the background, loyal relationships and mother's advice were intertwined.
Jang Hoon's recollection: "In 1981, when I retired from active duty, Lotte owner Shin Kyuk-ho called me to his home. Won't you take over as manager?" Then manager Kazuhiro Yamauchi. Due to my personality, I could not have pushed him to the position. I have lived through loyalty and recognition.
"No, I'm not good enough to be a coach." He politely declined. Two years later, Chairman Shin called him again to tell the coach. "I still don't have enough time to study." Chairman Shin asked for recommendations.