Hong Sung-heon

Hong Sung-heon (Hangul: 홍성흔, born October 21, 1976, in Hoengseong County, Gangwon-do, South Korea) is a former South Korean designated hitter. He batted and threw right-handed.

In this Korean name, the family name is Hong.
Hong Sung-heon
Designated hitter
Born: (1976-10-21) October 21, 1976
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
KBO debut
1999, for the Doosan Bears
Last KBO appearance
August 9, 2016, for the Doosan Bears
KBO statistics
(through 2016 season)
Batting average.301
Home runs208
RBI1,120
Teams
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's Baseball
Representing  South Korea
Bronze medal – third place 2000 Sydney Team

Hong was a catcher, and had been regularly called up to the South Korea national baseball team as a starting catcher until he was converted to a designated hitter in 2007.

Amateur career

In June 1998, as a senior at Kyung Hee University, Hong got his first call-up to the South Korea national baseball team for the 4-Nation Friendly Baseball Championship in Kobe, Japan.

In July 1998, Hong participated in the 1998 Baseball World Cup.[1] South Korea eventually claimed the silver medal two times in a row, and as a starting catcher he led the team attack alongside cleanup hitter Choi Hee-seop and Park Han-yi.

In November 1998, Hong was called up to the South Korean national team for the 1998 Asian Games, which included professional players for the first time ever.[2] He was the only amateur catcher on the roster.

Notable international careers
Year Venue Competition Team Individual Note
1998  Italy Baseball World Cup .229 BA (8-for-35), 7 RBI
1998  Thailand Asian Games .143 BA (1-for-7), 1 R

Professional career

Doosan Bears

Hong was drafted by the Doosan Bears in the first round of the KBO Draft after graduating from Kyung Hee University in 1999. In his first season, he batted a respectable .258 with 16 home runs and 63 RBI, and earned the starting position behind the plate in the Bears. Hong ended up earning KBO Rookie of the Year Award honors, becoming the first Bear since Yoon Suk-Hwan in 1984 to win the award.

In 2000, his batting average rose to .290, leading the league in batting average until the All-Star break. In September, Hong was selected as a member of the South Korea national baseball team that won their first olympic medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. In the tourney, he batted .240 with a home run and 3 RBI, sharing a starting position behind the plate with Park Kyung-Oan of the Hyundai Unicorns.

In 2004, Hong led the KBO league in hits (165), appearing in 133 all regular season games as a starting catcher. He was third in batting average (.329) and fifth in RBI (86), smacking 14 home runs and stealing 10 bases, and won his second Golden Glove Award as a catcher.

During the 2005 season, due to his hamstring injury and defensive deficiencies, Hong began to split his time between catching and designating hitting. After the season, he announced that he would not give up his catching position in the Bears, and his intention came into conflict with the team's manager Kim Kyung-Moon.

In the beginning of the 2007 season, he was sidelined with hamstring injury, and the Bears' backup catcher Chae Sang-Byung filled Hong's void behind the plate. Hong came back as the starting catcher for the Bears in the middle of the season. His offense, however, did not perform at the level expected, as he spent the majority of the season platooning with Chae Sang-Byung, and amid much controversy the manager Kim eventually named Chae the starter for the end of the season.

In 2008, as a full-time designated hitter, Hong finished runner-up in batting average with .331 and fourth in hits (140). After the season, he won his third Golden Glove Award as a designated hitter. In a broadcast program, which appeared after retirement, he introduced a story of his past experience with Stephen Blas' syndrome. Steven Blass syndrome refers to a syndrome in which a baseball player suffers from poor control, such as a sudden strike. It is a term derived from a real example of Steve Blas, a right-hander who led Pittsburgh to the World Series title in 1971. Hong Sung-heun's frequent defensive errors at the time were also due to skills problems caused by suffering from Steven Blas syndrome. </ref>

Lotte Giants

Hong became a free agent after the 2008 season and signed a four-year deal with the Lotte Giants on November 27, 2008.

In 2009, Hong noyce was runner-up in batting average again with a career-high .371, only .001 behind league-leader Park Yong-Taik of the LG Twins. On December 11, 2009, he won his fourth the Golden Glove Award in Designated hitter nomination for two consecutive years.[3]

In 2010, Hong was runner-up in batting average, hits, RBI, Slugging percentage, OPS, third in On-base percentage and fourth in Homeruns. On July 24, 2010, he became All-star Game MVP. He also became the most voted All-star game player of KBO history.[4] On December 11, 2010, he won his fifth the Golden Glove Award in Designated hitter nomination for three consecutive years.[5]

He announced his retirement from active service on November 21, 2016. He has since moved to the U.S. under Park Chan-ho's introduction to take training as a leader and coach the San Diego Padres Rookie team.[6]

Awards and honors
  • 2001 Golden Glove Award (Catcher)
  • 2004 Golden Glove Award (Catcher)
  • 2008 Golden Glove Award (Designated hitter)
  • 2009 Golden Glove Award (Designated hitter)
  • 2010 Golden Glove Award (Designated hitter)
  • 2011 Golden Glove Award (Designated hitter)

Interesting record

No. 2 batting average for the third consecutive year. (2008~2010) First catcher to record the most hits in a season. (2004)

Notable international careers
Year Venue Competition Team Individual Note
1999  South Korea Asian Baseball Championship .125 BA (1-for-8), 1 R
2000  Australia Olympic Games .240 BA (6-for-25), 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R
2002  South Korea Asian Games .240 BA (4-for-15), 2 RBI, 2 R
2006  United States World Baseball Classic .500 BA (2-for-4), 1 RBI

Filmography

Television shows
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2021–present Mr. House Husband 2 Cast Member Season 2 [7]
2021 Wild Cave [8]
2022 Back to the Ground Participant [9]
Round Table Contestant Chuseok Special [10]
The First Business in the World [11]
2023 World's First Merchant Season 2 [12]

Awards and nominations
Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination
Award ceremony Year Category Nominee / Work Result Ref.
KBS Entertainment Awards 2021 Rookie Award in Reality Category Mr. House Husband 2 Won [13]
Best Teamwork Award Won

Personal life

Hong married former model Kim Jung-im in 2004. They have a son and a daughter.[14]

References
  1. "Baseball: Medallists from previous World Cups". Beijing 2008. July 17, 2008. Archived from the original on September 3, 2008. Retrieved April 23, 2009.
  2. Lee, Jae-guk (November 28, 2006). "Korean Baseball History at the Asian Games (2): Inaugural Dream Team". Sports Seoul (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 22, 2011.
  3. (in Korean) KIA, GG 수상자 4명 배출…최다득표 김현수(종합)
  4. (in Korean) 롯데 홍성흔, 올스타 역대 '최다 득표'… 삼성·SK '올스타' 없어
  5. (in Korean) 롯데 홍성흔, 최다득표로 골든글러브 수상
  6. "[이영미 人터뷰] 홍성흔은 어떻게 해서 샌디에이고 정식 코치가 되었나". sports.news.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  7. Kim Jeong-jin (August 12, 2021). "홍성흔, KBS '살림남2' 합류…가족과의 일상 공개" [Hong Seong-heon joins KBS 'Salim Nam 2'... Daily life with family]. Yonhap News (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  8. Yoo Won-jeong (September 27, 2021). "현주엽→함연지 라인업 '동굴캐슬' 부부 극한 생존기" [Hyun Joo-yeop → Ham Yeon-ji Lineup 'Cave Castle' Couple Extreme Survival]. CBS No Cut News (in Korean). Retrieved September 27, 2021 – via Naver.
  9. Kim Ye-eun (February 11, 2022). "[단독] 홍성흔·이대형·채태인, 다시 그라운드로…'빽투더그라운드' 합류" [[Exclusive] Hong Seong-heon, Lee Dae-hyung, Chae Tae-in, back to the ground… Joining 'Back to the Ground'] (in Korean). xportsnews. Retrieved February 11, 2022 – via Naver.
  10. Ahn Tae-hyun (September 5, 2022). "강호동, 추석특집 '라운드 테이블' MC 낙점…6년만에 KBS 귀환" [Kang Ho-dong, Chuseok special 'Round Table' MC selected... Return to KBS after 6 years] (in Korean). News1. Retrieved September 5, 2022 – via Naver.
  11. Jeong Seo-hee (September 14, 2022). "이경규X배성재, '천하제일장사' MC…추성훈·홍성흔→윤형빈, 씨름 강자 가른다" [Lee Kyung-gyu X Bae Seong-jae, MC of 'The World's Best Sellers'... Choo Seong-hoon and Hong Seong-heon → Yoon Hyung-bin, the best wrestling players] (in Korean). spoTV News. Retrieved September 14, 2022 – via Naver.
  12. "천하제일장사2' 조진형·남경진·모태범, 인터뷰…조진형 "피지컬팀 마선호·김경진, 우승 확률 50%" [Interview with Cho Jin-hyung, Nam Kyung-jin, and Mo Tae-beom of ‘The First Merchant 2’ Cho Jin-hyung “Physical team Ma Seon-ho and Kim Kyung-jin, 50% chance of winning”] (in Korean). Channel A. March 22, 2023. Retrieved March 22, 2023 – via Naver.
  13. Lee Seung-rok (December 25, 2021). "라비·홍성흔 가족, 생애 단 한번뿐인 신인상 쾌거 [KBS연예대상]" [Ravi and Hong Seong-heon's family, a once-in-a-lifetime Rookie of the Year award [KBS Entertainment Awards]] (in Korean). My Daily. Retrieved December 26, 2021 – via Naver.
  14. ""아내에게 욕한 모친과 인연 끊어" 홍성흔 가정사 고백". The Chosun Ilbo. September 8, 2021.
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