San Francisco Giants center fielder Lee Jung-hoo bunt hits to load the bases against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the sixth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Sept. 8, in this Getty Images photo. Yonhap
Major League Baseball (MLB) announced Wednesday senior executives and managers of the San Francisco Giants will visit Korea next month to run a clinic for high school players and participate in cultural activities in Seoul.
For the Jan. 6-7 trip, Larry Baer, CEO of the Giants, will be joined by Buster Posey, the team’s president of baseball operations; Zack Minasian, their general manager; and Tony Vitello, the club’s new manager.
The Giants’ Korean outfielder, Lee Jung-hoo, will also represent the MLB club in his native land, alongside shortstop Willy Adames.
On the first day of the trip, Vitello, Lee and Adames will meet with popular chef Choi Hyun-seok for a Korean cooking class, visit a local market and take part in traditional Korean games, among other cultural programs.
Then on the following day, the three will be joined by Baer, Posey and Minasian for a press conference at LG Champions Park in Icheon, the minor league home of the Korea Baseball Organization club LG Twins, Gyeonggi Province.
The Giants players will then run a clinic for some 60 players from Whimoon High School, Lee’s alma mater, and from Duksoo High School. A former Giants infielder from Korea, Hwang Jae-gyun, will help Lee and Adames in the clinic.
“This trip isn’t just about promoting the club in Korea,” MLB said in a statement released by the Seoul-based PR agency Sports Intelligence Group. “It’s a symbolic step that demonstrates the team’s respect for Korean baseball and culture, and its desire to establish long-term exchanges.”