"Doesn't He Look Like a Baseball Player?"... Identity of the Spectator Who Made a Barehanded Catch of a Foul Ball in Kim Ha-seong's Game

Former Major Leaguer Kang Jung-ho (36) caught a foul ball flying into the stands while watching a game of his close junior Kim Ha-seong (28, San Diego Padres), drawing attention.

On the 25th (Korean time), Kang Jung-ho attended the 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB) regular season game between the San Diego Padres and the Pittsburgh Pirates held at Petco Park in San Diego, California, USA. He was there to see his KBO junior Kim Ha-seong and former Pittsburgh teammates. Sitting among the spectators, Kang suddenly stood up and stretched out his left hand as a ball flew into the stands, catching it barehanded. The extraordinary catch drew cheers from the nearby audience.

[Photo by The Athletic Twitter]

The local broadcast team also noticed Kang Jung-ho's remarkable catch. The local broadcast caster said, "Look at this fan. Doesn't he look like a baseball player?" and added, "Kang Jung-ho, who played for Pittsburgh."

Sports media outlet The Athletic also posted on their social media account, "Kang Jung-ho, who played for Pittsburgh, caught a foul ball with one hand in the stands," sharing a captured video screen of him snatching the ball.

Kang Jung-ho played as the top shortstop in the KBO League with Nexen Heroes (now Kiwoom) before entering the Major Leagues through Pittsburgh in 2015. Over four seasons, including 21 home runs in 2016, he hit a total of 46 home runs, building a successful career as a Korean Major Leaguer from the KBO League.

However, in December 2016, he caused a drunk driving accident in Korea, and it was revealed that he had previously driven under the influence, which put a halt to his playing career. Ultimately, he ended his Major League career after the 2019 season. He attempted to return to the KBO League twice in 2020 and last year, but both attempts were canceled due to strong public opposition. It is currently known that he operates a baseball lesson facility in California, USA.

On this day, Kang Jung-ho reportedly visited the stadium to support his junior Kim Ha-seong, who once shared the same team at Nexen. Before the game, he went down to the field and greeted his former Pittsburgh teammates.

Although San Diego lost 4-8 that day, Kim Ha-seong hit his 13th and 14th multi-home runs, coming closer to Kang Jung-ho's KBO League-born MLB single-season home run record of 21.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.