| Jae Weong Seo | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Seo with theTampa Bay Devil Rays | |||||||||||||||
| Kia Tigers – No. 98 | |||||||||||||||
| Pitcher / pitching coach | |||||||||||||||
| Born: (1977-05-24)May 24, 1977 (age 48) Kwangju,South Korea | |||||||||||||||
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |||||||||||||||
| Professional debut | |||||||||||||||
| MLB: July 21, 2002, for the New York Mets | |||||||||||||||
| KBO: April 1, 2008, for the Kia Tigers | |||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | |||||||||||||||
| MLB: May 29, 2007, for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays | |||||||||||||||
| KBO: August 17, 2015, for the Kia Tigers | |||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Win–loss record | 28–40 | ||||||||||||||
| Earned run average | 4.60 | ||||||||||||||
| Strikeouts | 340 | ||||||||||||||
| KBO statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Win–loss record | 42–48 | ||||||||||||||
| Earned run average | 4.30 | ||||||||||||||
| Strikeouts | 417 | ||||||||||||||
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |||||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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Medals
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| Jae Weong Seo | |
| Hangul | 서재응 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 徐在應 |
| RR | Seo Jaeeung |
| MR | Sŏ Chaeŭng |
Jae Woeng "Jay" Soe (Jay So) (Korean:서재응;Hanja: 徐在應;Korean pronunciation:[sʌ.dʑɛ̝.ɯŋ]; born May 24, 1977), usually referred to as simplyJae Seo and pronounced "Jay So", is a retired South Korean professional baseball pitcher. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theNew York Mets,Los Angeles Dodgers, andTampa Bay Devil Rays. Seo subsequently returned to South Korea to join theKBO League'sKia Tigers.[1]
Seo attendedGwangju Jeil High School (graduating in 1996),[2] andInha University inIncheon, South Korea, where he led his team to the Korean collegiate championship in 1997.
In1998, Seo was signed as afree agent by the New York Mets. After an excellent first year of professional play, Seo underwentreconstructive surgery on his elbow in1999.[1] He did not pitch again until2001. On July 21,2002, Seo made his major league debut with a scoreless inning ofrelief against theCincinnati Reds. In2003, Seo spent the entire season with the Mets as a starting pitcher. He logged 188innings pitched and 31games started, both tops amongrookie pitchers in theNational League that year. In2004, Seo struggled, splitting his time between the Mets and the Triple-ANorfolk Tides.
When he first pitched in the major leagues, he had two pitches – afastball which topped out at 91–92 miles per hour (he threw in the mid-90s beforeTommy John surgery), and a deceptivechangeup in the mid 80s. Not being able to throw as hard as earlier in his career meant it was important for Seo to maintain a high degree of control over his pitches which, on occasion he was unable to do. This, along with Seo's reluctance to change his pitching mechanics, led to confrontations with Mets' pitching coachRick Peterson.
In2005, Seo seemed to have taken heed of this advice, developing aslider,splitter, andcurveball. The Mets' surplus ofpitchers resulted in his spending much of the year at Norfolk. However, he was called up to the majors in early August 2005, and pitched extremely well.
On January 4,2006, Seo was dealt to theLos Angeles Dodgers along withTim Hamulack in exchange for relieversDuaner Sánchez andSteve Schmoll. On June 26, he was traded by the Dodgers, along withcatcherDioner Navarro andoutfielderJustin Ruggiano to theTampa Bay Devil Rays in exchange for pitcherMark Hendrickson and catcherToby Hall. Seo made his debut with the Rays on June 28, 2006, against theFlorida Marlins, pitching two scorelessinnings.
In2007, despite his strong performance duringspring training, he recorded a 3–4 record with an 8.13ERA. He was then sent to the Triple-ADurham Bulls and had a solid season of 9–4 with 3.69 ERA.
On December 11,2007, Seo signed with the Kia Tigers of theKorea Professional Baseball League.
Seo was selected and played for the South Korean national team in the2006World Baseball Classic. He pitched extremely well, having tied with the second lowest ERA in the tournament with theDominican Republic'sBartolo Colón, with a 0.64 ERA. In the semi-final game against Japan, in 6 innings Seo did not allow a singlerun. Even though Japan eventually won the game, Seo's start was still considered one of the best pitching performances in the WBC.
· Baseball Almanac
