Geogeumdo Baseball Stadium in Goheung, Jeollanam-do, where the Kiwoom Heroes spring camp is being held.

The southernmost baseball field on the Korean Peninsula, which was usually quiet, was buzzing with excitement.

Kiwoom's new foreigner Taza Ya Ciel Puy made his first appearance on the 10th after he finished his self-isolation.

About 40 reporters flocked to Geogeumdo Baseball Stadium, which takes five and a half hours from Seoul, to watch Puig's every move.




▲ Puig with every move and attention


Puig first greeted manager Hong Won-ki and interviewed reporters before the arrival of the squad.

Puig said, "I'm happy to come back to team training after quarantine." "During the quarantine period, I only lived at home. I watched movies and watched Netflix. Yesterday (9th) I watched the Olympics and a Korean athlete (Hwang Dae-heon) won a gold medal. I've seen it too," he said, telling the story behind his wise quarantine life.



Puig made his big league debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2013.

He became familiar with domestic fans while eating Hansotbap with Ryu Hyun-jin, who joined the LA Dodgers in the same year.

The two were called 'soul best friends' by the Dodgers and became close.

The reporters' interest naturally turned to Ryu Hyun-jin and his relationship.

When asked about Ryu Hyun-jin, Puig smiled and said, "Last year when Hyun-jin Ryu played in Toronto, we continued to keep in touch and talk." I did.




As the major league job closures have been prolonged, Hyun-Jin Ryu is currently training at the spring camp of his former team, Hanwha.

It takes 2 hours by car from Geogeumdo Baseball Stadium to Hanwha Campsite Geoje Island.

They were close enough to meet, but Puig nailed team training as a priority.

He said, "I think the most important thing is to adapt as the team training started today. I don't have any plans to go to see Ryu Hyun-jin right now. I'm thinking of meeting him if time permits when I go to Seoul later."

Still, she sent a playful message saying "I love you ~".



Kiwoom signed Puig, a former major league star, because they haven't benefited from foreign hitters in the past two years.

Tyler Motor, Edison Russell, David Freitas and Will Craig brought in four foreign batters, but all of them fell short of expectations.

In particular, Russell, who led the Chicago Cubs to win the World Series, stepped on the Gocheok Dome with great expectations, but packed his bags by staying with a batting average of 25% and 2 home runs in 65 games.

Four foreign batters recorded only 11 home runs.

Kiwoom, who left the main hitter Park Byeong-ho, needed a big hitter with one shot, and ended up signing Puig.



Kiwoom has high expectations for Puig both inside and outside the game.

Director Hong Won-gi said, "I haven't seen Puy other than his appearance yet. I have to see him exercise." He said, "I was surprised that he was so big when I held his hand," he said with his tongue.

Next, he said, "I heard that Puy is a very pure friend. I have to think carefully about how to approach him at first. I hope he can adapt well and show good skills."

A club official said, "The fact that so many reporters have come to Goheung from far away means that there is a lot of interest."




The reporter covered Puig in LA in August 2013.

At the time, Puig was a rising star for the Los Angeles Dodgers and received the spotlight in the local media.

He was very playful, yet impressing with his free spirits.

I showed Puig a photo of himself, along with a story from his 2013 LA interview.

Puig was surprised and laughed, saying, "I remember. There were a lot of reporters at the time because it was a match against Boston. Looking at it now, I think I was too skinny."

We haven't been able to talk for a long time because of our training schedule, but Puig is now more mature than when we met 9 years ago.



Puig said, "I felt that the team needed me." "The biggest motivation for my team was to win the Korean Series. The biggest goal is to play the best I can. We will aim to win the Korean Series.”