Tommy Hyeonsu Edman 바카라(28, St. Louis), who will participate in the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) with the Taegeuk mark, expressed his strong determination.
Born to a Korean mother and an American father, Edman’s nationality is American. However, based on WBC rules and his mother’s nationality, he was allowed to compete in the tournament wearing the uniform of the Korean national team. He became the first non-Korean national team player.
The national team held battery training in Tucson, Arizona, USA from the 15th (Korean time) to the 28th of last month. Edmund has not been able to join the national team due to digesting his team’s spring camp. However, he entered Korea on the 1st to participate in domestic training held about a week before the tournament.
Edmund participated in the national team training held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 2nd. It was the first time on this day that I was breathing with the national team players, so there are still a lot of awkward parts. After training, he said, “There was a bit of confusion while meeting many players and coaches.” He continued, “I think he will be able to show a good figure in the future,” revealing his confidence.
There are only two active big leaguers in the national team, Edmon and Kim Ha-seong (San Diego). However, Kim Gwang-hyeon (SSG), Kim Hyeon-soo (LG), Yang Hyeon-jong (KIA), and Park Byung-ho (kt) also experienced major league play.
Park Byung-ho, a former big leaguer, is helping Edmund adapt as a senior on the national team. Edman said, “Apart from Ha-seong Kim, Byeong-ho Park is helping me a lot. He has experience in the major leagues, so he speaks English well.” It does,” he said thanks.
As soon as Edman arrived in Korea the day before, he posted a picture of him eating sundaeguk on social media. Growing up with a Korean mother, he explained, “Even as a child, I ate a lot of Korean food. It’s definitely different from American food, but it’s not unusual for me.” Next, he laughed about his first meal in Korea, saying, “It was a delicious meal. It was fresh to have side dishes to eat together.”
Finally, at the WBC, he revealed his ambition to leave a deep impression on Korean fans. Edman said, “I think my strength is that I am good at batting, running, and defending. I hope I can meet the expectations of Korean fans. I will prepare well to show my strengths.”