He’s nicknamed the “Man of Fragrance" (香男). The title doesn’t come from a cosmetic commercial advertisement or something. It’s from the given name of baseball pitcher Choi Hyang-nam (최향남, 崔香男).
The "Man of Fragrance" recently turned 44-years-old, some say past his prime as a professional athlete. Since his debut in 1990, the pitcher has recorded 54 wins and 27 losses, with 24 saves, 14 holds and an ERA of 4.05 across his career for various teams in the Korean domestic league, not counting his time playing in other baseball leagues around the world.
Choi now embarks on a new adventure, as he will extend his globe-trotting career to the European stage. Last month, he signed a contract to play with the Austrian semi-pro club the Wr. Neustadt Diving Ducks.
The pitcher played with the independent Goyang Wonders at home in 2014. As the team was then disbanded, Choi had no choice but to make a career move. The European opportunity then came to him just last month.
His baseball life has been a series of endless challenges. In early 2006, he flew to the U.S. with the goal of advancing to the U.S. major leagues. As it turned out, he signed a contract with the minor league feeder team for the Cleveland Indians.
In 2009 and 2010, Choi also pitched for the Albuquerque Isotopes in New Mexico, a Triple-A team.
The Triple-A league is the highest level of play in the U.S. minor leagues, the final step before advancing to the major leagues. Across his Triple-A seasons, he had quite good statistics, with 18 wins, 9 losses and a 2.81 ERA.
He also played with an independent team in Japan, then in Taiwan and finally in the Dominican Republic, as well.
Looking at his distinguished career and skills, people think that he would have been able to enjoy a much higher annual salary and to play under much better conditions if he had stayed at home. However, this “Man of Fragrance” chose the jungle over the domestic leagues and has played for baseball teams around the world. He had to face cutthroat competition with some of the best players in the field. Throughout his career, he refused to live in the Korean baseball rat race, even though he risked falling behind other younger, stronger players. He does, actually, have a quite strong reason as to why he keeps taking the bumpy path instead of the easy one. It’s because he wants to keep doing what he loves to do: play baseball.
Europe is known as a barren land for the sport, compared to the U.S., Japan or Korea. The Austrian Diving Ducks club from Wiener Neustadt, a city in northeast Austria, belongs to the first division of the local semi-pro league. The first division fields a total of six teams, and each of them will play 20 games per season.
Like the aroma of spring that surrounds the opening of the baseball season, "Mr. Fragrance" Choi Hyang-nam will now waft across the Austrian baseball air for the foreseeable future.
By Wi Tack-whan, Sohn JiAe
Korea.net Staff Writers
whan23@korea.kr
The "Man of Fragrance" recently turned 44-years-old, some say past his prime as a professional athlete. Since his debut in 1990, the pitcher has recorded 54 wins and 27 losses, with 24 saves, 14 holds and an ERA of 4.05 across his career for various teams in the Korean domestic league, not counting his time playing in other baseball leagues around the world.
The 44-year-old pitcher Choi Hyang-nam is ready to embark on a new challenge: to play in the Austrian leagues. Pictured above, Choi pitches for the Busan-based Lotte Giants. (photo: Yonhap News)
Choi now embarks on a new adventure, as he will extend his globe-trotting career to the European stage. Last month, he signed a contract to play with the Austrian semi-pro club the Wr. Neustadt Diving Ducks.
The pitcher played with the independent Goyang Wonders at home in 2014. As the team was then disbanded, Choi had no choice but to make a career move. The European opportunity then came to him just last month.
A promotional poster for the Austrian semi-pro baseball club the Wr. Neustadt Diving Ducks welcomes Choi Hyang-nam (right) to the club.
His baseball life has been a series of endless challenges. In early 2006, he flew to the U.S. with the goal of advancing to the U.S. major leagues. As it turned out, he signed a contract with the minor league feeder team for the Cleveland Indians.
In 2009 and 2010, Choi also pitched for the Albuquerque Isotopes in New Mexico, a Triple-A team.
The Triple-A league is the highest level of play in the U.S. minor leagues, the final step before advancing to the major leagues. Across his Triple-A seasons, he had quite good statistics, with 18 wins, 9 losses and a 2.81 ERA.
He also played with an independent team in Japan, then in Taiwan and finally in the Dominican Republic, as well.
Looking at his distinguished career and skills, people think that he would have been able to enjoy a much higher annual salary and to play under much better conditions if he had stayed at home. However, this “Man of Fragrance” chose the jungle over the domestic leagues and has played for baseball teams around the world. He had to face cutthroat competition with some of the best players in the field. Throughout his career, he refused to live in the Korean baseball rat race, even though he risked falling behind other younger, stronger players. He does, actually, have a quite strong reason as to why he keeps taking the bumpy path instead of the easy one. It’s because he wants to keep doing what he loves to do: play baseball.
Europe is known as a barren land for the sport, compared to the U.S., Japan or Korea. The Austrian Diving Ducks club from Wiener Neustadt, a city in northeast Austria, belongs to the first division of the local semi-pro league. The first division fields a total of six teams, and each of them will play 20 games per season.
Like the aroma of spring that surrounds the opening of the baseball season, "Mr. Fragrance" Choi Hyang-nam will now waft across the Austrian baseball air for the foreseeable future.
By Wi Tack-whan, Sohn JiAe
Korea.net Staff Writers
whan23@korea.kr