Retired KBO star to rejoin ex-club as coach

▲ In this file photo from April 10, 2019, Park Han-yi of the Samsung Lions reacts after striking out against the LG Twins in the top of the seventh inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. (Yonhap)

▲ In this file photo from Sept. 6, 2018, Park Han-yi of the Samsung Lions (R) is greeted at home plate by his first base coach Kang Myung-gu after hitting a solo home run against the Doosan Bears in the bottom of the second inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul. (Yonhap)

baseball club-coach

Retired KBO star to rejoin ex-club as coach

SEOUL, Nov. 23 (Yonhap) -- Pushed into an unceremonious retirement following a drunk driving accident last year, former South Korean baseball All-Star Park Han-yi will rejoin the Samsung Lions as a coach next season.

An official with the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club said Monday that Park will soon meet with the players as a new member of the coaching staff. Park said he was grateful for the opportunity to atone for his mistakes while wearing the only uniform he's known as a professional.

Park abruptly retired on May 27, 2019, after spending his entire 19-year career with the Lions. Earlier that day, Park got into a fender bender on his way home after dropping off his daughter at school in Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul. Police arrived at the scene and gave Park a breathalyzer test. His blood alcohol level was 0.065 percent, well over the legal limit of 0.03 percent and high enough to have his driver's license suspended.

Park said he'd had a few drinks with friends the previous night, following an afternoon game in which Park delivered a walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth against the Kiwoom Heroes. Instead of serving his suspension and returning to the field, Park decided to quit at age 40.

Four days after Park was caught driving under the influence, the KBO slapped Park with a 90-game suspension and ordered him to 180 hours of community service. Though Park announced his retirement, he remained on the Lions' roster throughout the 2019 season and completed 89 games of his suspension. He completed his 180 hours working with players in Laos. Park also paid his fine of 5 million won (US$4,495) and will only need to sit out one more game in 2021.

Park said when he was first offered the coaching job, he was excited at the opportunity to work in the game again but was worried that maybe it was too soon for him to return to baseball.

"I've always wanted to go back to baseball, but I knew I had to look at myself in the mirror first," Park said. "I regret (the incident) more than anything I've done in my life. I let down my fans and put the team in a tough spot. I felt terrible for my family."

Park said if he were to return to the KBO in some capacity, he wanted it to be with the Lions.

"I am really excited and nervous," he said. "I don't even know what to say to them. When I was a player, I enjoyed the nervous energy going to the ballpark. Now, I am way more sorry than I am nervous. I'll try to learn from other coaches and try to help the players the best I can."

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