Socrates Britto (31, KIA Tigers), who visited the KBO All-Star Game with his family, thanked Korean baseball fans for their love.
Socrates, who entered the KBO League and Korea through the KIA last year, was selected as an All-Star for the first time with a total score of 44.59 points, including 2nd place in the outfield fan vote (1,096,488 votes) and 3rd place in the team vote (148 votes).
At the fan signing event held prior to the All-Star Game, I received a difficult request. A fan asked Socrates to write his name in Korean. Socrates, who knew how to say his basic greetings but was clumsy at writing them, readily wrote down the letters one by one while looking at the fan’s name on his cell phone. The highlight is the expression of Socrates, who is satisfied with the pretty finished autograph. The fan who asked for an autograph in Korean also thanked them and left.
Socrates participated in the Minor League Futures All-Star Game as a prospect in 2015 for the Arizona Diamondbacks in the US Major League. Although it was not comparable in scale compared to then, he enjoyed the exciting atmosphere unique to the KBO League All-Star Game. A smile did not leave Socrates’ lips when he visited with his wife and daughter Rose. Rose, born in May of last year, also received a lot of cuteness from players and fans.
He said, “Last year’s participation in the All-Star Game was unfortunate, but I’m happy to come again like this. It’s really nice to come with my family. I feel that Koreans really like children. It’s fun.” He smiled broadly.
Unlike domestic players who meet and become friends during regular games, the All-Star Game is a good opportunity for foreign players with language barriers to interact with players from other teams. Woojin Ahn (Kiwoom), who visited Drew Luchinski (former NC, current Oakland Athletics) last year, visited Socrates this time.
Socrates was one of the three home runs allowed by Ahn Woo-jin this year, and he hit one in the match against Kiwoom in Gwangju on the 28th of last month. On that day, Ahn Woo-jin conceded 5 runs, the most in one game this season, including the first two-run four given to Socrates. According to Ahn Woo-jin, Socrates has only hit once, and it is rumored that he will hit another home run next time they meet.
Socrates, who thrilled the hearts of some fans at the pre-event, brought together 22,990 packed spectators at Sajik Stadium in the main game. On this day, he was named in the starting lineup as the 5th hitter and left fielder of the Sharing All-Stars. As he entered his first at-bat at the end of the first inning safely on 1st and 2nd base, he put on a performance wearing a fedora and blowing a trumpet along with his teammates Choi Ji-min, Lee Woo-sung, and KIA mascot Hodori along with his cheering song. According to a KIA official, the club’s marketing team first proposed, and Socrates and the players willingly stepped forward. In the pre-game practice process, not only Lee Woo-seong and Choi Ji-min, but also Yang Hyeon-jong and Choi Hyeong-woo participated and made the flowers bloom.메이저사이트주소
The impact on performance was also significant. In the first at-bat that appeared splendidly, he attacked Park Se-woong’s fastball and hit the right pole with a preemptive three-run four. In the 3rd inning, he hit a double, and in the 7th, he showed a series of cool hits that were caught right in front of the right wall, heating up the Sajik Stadium. And each time, the Socrates cheering song, one of the most popular cheering songs in the KBO League, and the rhythm of drawing a letter “S” above the head were played automatically, and fans of the 10 KBO teams cheered vigorously, “Tigers~ Socrates,” and burst into laughter.
In the background of expressing his determination to “enjoy and go as much as possible,” there was Korean fans’ affection for Socrates for nearly two years. Socrates said, “Since last year, I have felt the full love of Korean fans. Not only do they cheer for me at the stadium, but they always ask for pictures and welcome me when I walk on the street (even when there are no games). Those details really come to me a lot. . I’m really happy” and smiled.