| Song Seung-jun | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||||||||||
| Pitcher | |||||||||||||||
| Born: (1980-06-29)June 29, 1980 (age 44) Pusan,South Korea | |||||||||||||||
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |||||||||||||||
| KBO debut | |||||||||||||||
| April 21, 2007, for the Lotte Giants | |||||||||||||||
| Last KBO appearance | |||||||||||||||
| September 8, 2020, for the Lotte Giants | |||||||||||||||
| KBO statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Win–loss record | 109–85 | ||||||||||||||
| Earned run average | 4.48 | ||||||||||||||
| Strikeouts | 1,238 | ||||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Song Seung-jun (Korean: 송승준;Hanja: 宋勝準; born June 29, 1980 inBusan,South Korea) is a South Korean formerprofessional baseball player. Apitcher, Song played for theLotte Giants in theKorea Baseball Organization. Prior to playing for Lotte, Song playedminor league baseball in the United States from 1999 through 2006. He bats and throws right-handed. Song's bread-and-butter pitch is aforkball.[1]
Song attended Kyungnam High School inBusan,South Korea. In September 1998, he was selected for the South Korean national junior team, and participated in the 3rd Asian Junior Baseball Championship inOsaka, Japan, along withBaek Cha-Seung,Lee Jong-Wook andLee Jin-Young. He helped lead the baseball team to the Korean national high school championship in 1998.[2][3]
| Year | Venue | Competition | Team | Individual Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 |  Japan | Asian Junior Baseball Championship |  |
Though Song was the first overall selection in theKorea Baseball Organization (KBO) amateur draft,[4] Song signed with theBoston Red Sox ofMajor League Baseball as an amateurfree agent in February 1999, receiving a $800,000signing bonus.[3] He started his professional career in theRookie-levelGulf Coast League (GCL) with theGCL Red Sox that season.[5] He pitched for theLowell Spinners of theClass A-Short SeasonNew York–Pennsylvania League in 2000.[6]
In 2001, Song began the season with theAugusta GreenJackets of theClass ASouth Atlantic League (SAL), earning the victory in the SAL All-Star Game.[7] He received a promotion to theSarasota Red Sox of theClass A-AdvancedFlorida State League on his 21st birthday.[8] He finished the season with a 1.90earned run average, finishing second inminor league baseball behindJosh Beckett, and 135strikeouts in 138innings pitched.[3] He was named Minor League Player of the Year byBaseball America. He also competed in the 2001All-Star Futures Game as a member of World Team.[3]
Prior to the 2002 season, Song was rated as the 60th-best prospect in baseball byBaseball America.[9] In 2002, he played for theTrenton Thunder of theClass AAEastern League, and competed in the 2002 All-Star Futures Game.[10] That season, theBoston Red Sox traded Song to theMontreal Expos withSun-Woo Kim forCliff Floyd.[3]
In April 2003, while pitching for theHarrisburg Senators, the Expos' Class AA affiliate in the Eastern League, Song threw ano-hitter.[11][12] He was selected again as a member of World Team for the 2003 All-Star Futures Game.[13] This made Song the first three-time participant in the All-Star Futures Game.[14] Later that year, the Expos attempted to trade Song andJosh McKinley to theTexas Rangers forJuan González, but Gonzalez used a no-trade clause in his contract to block the deal.[15] In 2004, the Expos optioned Song to theEdmonton Trappers of theClass AAAPacific Coast League.[16][17]
After the 2004 season, theToronto Blue Jays claimed Song off ofwaivers.[16] In 2005, he pitched for theSan Francisco Giants organization. In 2006, he pitched for theWichita Wranglers, theKansas City Royals' Class AA affiliate, in theTexas League.[18] He appeared in the Texas League All-Star Game.[19]
Song transferred to theLotte Giants of the KBO, who signed him to one-year contract for $300,000 in March 2007.[14] Song led the Giants in wins in 2010, and was selected to start the first game of the playoffs.[20] Between 2008 and 2011, Song won at least 12 games a year for the Giants. In 2012, he was named a starter in the KBO All-Star Game,[21] as the fans voted for ten Giants as starters.[22]
In 2016, he grade down in 1st major in Lotte. Because of his Fascia rupture, his doctor said that he will need to cure of two weeks.[23]
Song was named to the preliminary roster for the2008 Beijing Olympic Games in July 2007,[14] and made the final 24-man roster in July 2008, his first major international competition.[24] Song started two games at the Olympics. On August 14, he pitched six scoreless innings against theChinese national baseball team, giving up only two hits while striking out nine. On August 19, Song pitched6+1⁄3 innings againstCuban national baseball team, allowing three runs and five hits to earn the win for South Korea.[25]
| Year | Venue | Competition | Team | Individual Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 |  China | Olympic Games |  | 1-0; 2.19 ERA (2 G, 12.1 IP, 3 ER, 12 K) |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Strongest Baseball | Cast Member | [26] |
