| Byung-ho Park 박병호 | |
|---|---|
 Park with theKiwoom Heroes in 2019 | |
| Samsung Lions – No. 59 | |
| Designated hitter /First baseman | |
| Born: (1986-07-10)July 10, 1986 (age 39) Seoul,South Korea | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| Professional debut | |
| KBO: April 2, 2005, for the LG Twins | |
| MLB: April 4, 2016, for the Minnesota Twins | |
| KBO statistics (through August 3, 2025) | |
| Batting average | .273 |
| Home runs | 418 |
| Runs batted in | 1,244 |
| MLB statistics (through 2016 season) | |
| Batting average | .191 |
| Home runs | 12 |
| Runs batted in | 24 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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Medals | |
| Byung-ho Park | |
| Hangul | 박병호 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 朴炳鎬 |
| RR | Bak Byeongho |
| MR | Pak Pyŏngho |
Byungho Park (Korean: 박병호;Hanja: 朴炳鎬;Korean pronunciation:[pak̚.p͈jʌŋ.ɦo]; born July 10, 1986) is a South Korean professionalbaseballdesignated hitter andfirst baseman for theSamsung Lions of theKBO League. He previously played for theLG Twins,Kiwoom Heroes, andKT Wiz, andMinnesota Twins ofMajor League Baseball (MLB). In the KBO, Park had two consecutive seasons with 50 home runs (2014–2015) and was the home run title winner for four consecutive seasons (2012–2015). He holds the KBO record for runs batted in during a single season, with 146 RBI in 2015.
Park attended Sungnam High School inSeoul. Park first gained attention at the 38thPresident's Cup National High School Baseball Championship, where he became the first high school player to hit four home runs in four consecutiveplate appearances on April 29 and May 1,2004. In June 2004, Park led his team to win the 59thBlue Dragon Flag National High School Baseball Championship, ranked first inruns with 10.
In August 2004, Park was selected for the South Korean under-18 national team and participated in theWorld Junior Baseball Championship held inTaiwan. There he helped the team clinch bronze, leading the team's attack alongside future KBO League starsKang Jung-ho andChoi Jeong.
Park was selected by theLG Twins in the first round of the2005 KBO First-Year Player Draft. He entered the league with high expectations, converting his position fromcatcher to first baseman in his first season. However, Park batted only .190 with only 3 home runs and 21 RBIs in 79 games. In2006, he batted .162 with 5 home runs, spending most of the season in the minors. After the 2006 season, Park joined theKorea Armed Forces Athletic Corps Baseball Team to serve a two-year military service.
Although he came back to the Twins after being discharged from the military duty in early2009, Park continued to hit below theMendoza line (.218 in 2009 and .188 in2010), mostly serving as the backup to first basemanLee Taek-keun.
On July 31,2011, Park was traded to theNexen Heroes along withShim Soo-chang forKim Seong-hyun and Song Sin-yeong.
In2012, Park hit 31 home runs with 105 RBIs, and led the league inslugging percentage (.561). He also won the 2012KBO League Most Valuable Player Award and the Golden Glove Award at first base.
Park showed improved performances in the2013 season. He hit 37 home runs,slugging percentage (.602), 117 RBIs and scored 91 runs in 2013. He also played all 128 regular-season games as the team's starting first baseman and cleanup hitter. He was selected as an All-Star, won the 2013 KBO League MVP and Gold Glove Award at first base. In the last semi-playoff game against theDoosan Bears, Park hit a three-run home run againstDoosan Bears pitcherDustin Nippert to even up the score from 0–3 to 3–3 with two outs in the bottom of the 9th inning.
During the 2014 season, he batted .303 with 52 homers and 146 RBIs in 124 games with Nexen in the KBO. His 2015 season with the Heroes was even more impressive, as he batted .343 with 53 home runs, and he set a KBO record for runs batted in with 146.[1]
TheMinnesota Twins ofMajor League Baseball won the rights to negotiate with Park during the 2015–16 offseason after placing a $12.85 million bid through theposting system. On December 1, 2015, Park signed a four-year, $12 million contract with the Twins.[2]
On April 8, 2016, Park hit his first MLB home run off ofJoakim Soria in a game against theKansas City Royals.[3] After batting .191 in 62 games for the Twins, he wasoptioned to theRochester Red Wings of theTriple-AInternational League and was never called back up.[4] Park wasdesignated for assignment on February 3, 2017, to make room forMatt Belisle on the roster.[5] On March 30, Park cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Rochester, and was subsequently reassigned to Minor League camp as well.[6] He spent the entire 2017 season in the minors, and hit .253 with 14 home runs and 60 RBI in 111 games.[7] During the offseason, Park asked to be released by the Twins organization in order to return to the KBO League.[8]
On November 26, 2017, Park signed a one-year, $1.4 million contract to return to theNexen Heroes.[8] He became a free agent following the 2021 season.
On December 28, 2021, Park signed a three-year contract with theKT Wiz.[9]
On May 28, 2024, Park was traded to theSamsung Lions in exchange forOh Jae-il.[10] On November 3, 2025, he announced retirement.[11]
He representedSouth Korea at the2014 Asian Games,2015 WBSC Premier12 and2018 Asian Games.[12]
| Year | Venue | Competition | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 |  Chinese Taipei | World Junior Baseball Championship |  |
· Baseball Almanac
