Hanwha’s new foreign pitcher Ricardo Sanchez (26) threw a pitch that hit Shin Yoon-hoo in the body after the fifth inning against Daejeon Lotte on Nov. 17. It was his first pitch in Korea. Sanchez looked at Shin Yun-hoo, who was on first base, grabbed the brim of his hat and tapped his chest with his hand, acknowledging his error and apologizing with a simple gesture.
Foreign pitchers apologizing to batters after a pitch is nothing new in the KBO. Unlike Major League Baseball in the United States, Korea’s unique baseball culture of seniority is emulated by many foreign players. Sometimes they learn it from a Korean player, but most clubs will teach foreign players about Korean culture separately. It’s up to the player to accept it.
In Sanchez’s case, no one taught him anything, but he realized it and took action. After joining Hanwha as a replacement for Butch Smith, Sanchez spent two weeks preparing, starting last month on the 28th, accompanying the first team squad. During that time, he watched games from the dugout and saw pitchers apologize for throwing hard pitches to batters.
“I watched the game from the dugout for about two weeks, and I saw pitchers apologizing to batters after a pitch. “No one taught me that, but I knew it was Korean culture, and I thought I should apologize to the batter after a pitch. I think it shows respect for the opponent.”
Cultural adaptability is one of the keys to success for foreign athletes. Sanchez, who was born in 1997 and is the youngest active foreign player at 26, said when he first came to Korea, “I didn’t want to come here for one year and then go back. I want to play baseball in Korea for as long as I have the strength, which could be two or three years.”
Unable to establish himself in the U.S. Major Leagues, Sanchez hopped on a plane to Korea at a young age to take on a new challenge. If you play well in Korea, you’ll be treated better financially, and you’ll likely be scouted more favorably in Japan or the United States in the future. Many foreign players have used Korea as a springboard to start their second baseball careers.스포츠토토
Hanwha coach Choi Won-ho is also looking forward to Sanchez’s youth and motivation. “He’s young, so he must have some ambition. He may have a plan after this. I think Sanchez will be fine in that regard.”
Sanchez, who averages 148 kilometers per hour with a body-snapping fastball and a quick delivery, has settled in nicely in his first two games, pitching nine innings with five hits, one walk, four strikeouts and one earned run with a 1.00 ERA. He’ll look to pick up his first career win on Wednesday against the KIA in Daejeon as the team looks to snap a three-game losing streak. He threw 53 and 71 pitches in the previous two games due to pitch count restrictions, but will look to push his total to over 85 pitches.