‘Retiring from active duty’ NC Park Seok-min “I will strive to be a respected person”
NC Park Seok-min trains before the ‘2021 KBO Baseball Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League’ game between the NC Dinos and Samsung Lions at Changwon NC Park in Changwon, Gyeongnam, on May 26.
NC Dinos veteran infielder Park Seok-min (38), who is retiring from active duty at the end of this season, sent his final greetings through the club.
NC officially announced his retirement on May 30, saying, “Park Seok-min recently informed the club of his intention to end his 20-year professional baseball career.”
After graduating from Daegu High School and joining the Samsung Lions with the first pick in the 2004 KBO Rookie Draft, Park signed a four-year, $9.6 billion free agent contract with NC after the 2015 season and became a member of the Dinos. After the 2020 season, Park became a free agent again and re-signed for 2+1 years for a maximum of 3.4 billion won.
In his 18-year career, Park has played in a total of 1697 games, batting .287 with 269 home runs and 1041 RBIs. He holds the KBO record for most RBIs in a single regular season game (9) and led the NC Dinos to their first overall title in 2020 as a starter.
He has left his mark on the league as a player, winning the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in 2017, six Korean Series titles, two Golden Gloves (2014, 2015), the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 2016 playoffs, and the top slugging percentage in 2020. He has also been an active donor.
NC Dinos’ Park Seok-min high-fives Martini after scoring on Martini’s outfield sacrifice fly during the fifth inning of the baseball game between the NC Dinos and Hanwha Eagles at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Jung-gu, Daejeon, South Korea, on July 6, 2022.
However, his career took a sharp downward turn in 2021 when he was suspended for a total of 122 games for violating quarantine rules. He returned to the team after serving his suspension, but was never the same player.
This season, he competed for the starting third base job, but was plagued by injuries and poor form, batting just .193 in 30 games, and eventually decided to end his 20-year career.
Park said, “Thank you to everyone who helped me play baseball for 20 years. To the fans who have loved me as a baseball player, I can no longer show you the player Park Seok-min wearing the number 18 jersey, but I will do my best to be respected as a person Park Seok-min,” Park said.
“I would like to thank my parents for all the support they have given me to play baseball, and I would like to tell my wife and two sons that I love them for supporting me through the hard times of being a professional baseball player’s wife,” he added.
“Considering his teammates’ success in the postseason, Park has decided to discuss his future plans, including a retirement ceremony, with the club at a later date,” NC said. 슬롯
