Park Chan-ho, former baseball pitcher, was the first South Korean born player in the history of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for many baseball teams including the Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, and New York Yankees.
Park Chan-ho was born on June 30, 1973 in Gonju, South Korea. During his school years, Park was already excelling in sports and earning MVP titles in multiple tournaments. In the early nineties, Park was part of the South Korean national baseball team and his performance helped the team win the silver medal at the Asian Baseball Championship in 1993. After enrolling in Hanyang University in Seoul, Park’s baseball talent was quickly noticed by the Los Angeles Dodgers who signed him on as an amateur free agent in 1994.
Park’s professional career as a baseball player officially began when he made his debut appearance with the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 8, 1994. He forged a remarkable record with the team until the early 2000s. In 2002, the Texas Rangers signed Park as a pitcher with a dazzling $65 million five-year contract. After several years and teams, Park found his way back to his original team and returned to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008. He eventually played for other teams including the Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburg Pirates, and Orix Buffaloes. On November 30, 2012, Park announced his retirement from baseball and his record marks him as the most successful Asian-born pitcher in MLB history.
Although away from his homeland, Park never forgot his origins and always went back to play with his national team. In 1998, he joined the South Korean national team in the Asian Games and they won the gold medal. He also represented South Korea in the World Baseball Classic in 2005. Later in 2011, Park donated over $30k from his salary towards the development of amateur baseball in South Korea. Recently, he joined SparkLabs, a startup accelerator in South Korea, as a venture partner to support young entrepreneurs in various sectors.
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