Prize money from winning a bet → into the stomachs of juniors
He has a kind heart.
KT Wiz starting pitcher Wes Benjamin received a lot of jealousy from pitchers on the 29th of last month. At the time, the pitching team and training department, which completed training at Kushikawa Stadium in Okinawa, Japan, each raised 1,000 yen (about 9,000 won). A simple drawing game was held to determine the winner, and Benjamin won. He received a prize money of about 26,000 yen (about 230,000 won).
All the pitchers envied Benjamin, saying, “He can become a great person.” Eom Sang-baek laughed helplessly, saying, “I’ve never won a game like this before,” and William Cuevas shouted “Big Money” at Benjamin.
Benjamin decided to add his own money to his betting winnings and treat his colleagues to a meal. On the 2nd, the last rest day of spring camp, young pitchers were gathered together. He decided to go to lunch together. We headed to the sushi restaurant where the young players sang that they wanted to go to Okinawa. I smiled as I calculated the meal cost of about 800,000 won.
The scene that sometimes appears in cartoons, where pitchers pile up dishes like a ‘mountain’ and eat at a Japanese sushi restaurant, has become a true story.
This is heartwarming news following pitcher manager Ko Young-pyo. After training on the 26th of last month, Ko Young-pyo gathered all the pitchers together and arranged a group dinner. He served yakiniku (Japanese grilled meat), and the meal alone cost about 2 million won. At the time, the late Youngpyo opened his wallet to express his gratitude to his teammates as a pitching assistant and the club's first non-FA (free agent) multi-year contract player. Ko Young-pyo, who was a prospective free agent, signed a five-year contract with KT for a total of 10.7 billion won (9.5 billion won in guarantees and 1.2 billion won in options) ahead of this season.
Benjamin took over the baton. Benjamin said, "I played a fun game with the pitchers, but honestly, I didn't want to win. I felt burdened by having the money of young players. So, after winning, I decided to donate my money and create a place where I could talk with pitchers with less experience." .
Benjamin said, "Our team has a well-established culture where veteran players talk freely with younger players and take care of their juniors. As I am one of the senior players in the pitching team, I wanted to participate in that culture and convey my love to the juniors." "The pitchers always threw well when I was the starter, and they are always working hard. I wanted to take care of them as well, following Go Young-pyo," he added.
This is the third year since we started working with KT in 2022. Benjamin said, "KT is a team with a good balance between old and new. The culture where young players get along harmoniously while watching veterans is impressive." He added, "There are many good pitchers among the young players. They have the qualities of superstars, so let's gain experience and shine." “I will help too. I hope everyone can fight through the season without any injuries,” he said emphatically.
Park Young-hyun, who was reborn as a new closing pitcher this year, said, "I feel new and grateful that a foreign pitcher takes care of us like this. I plan to learn a lot about my attitude as a pitcher and my appearance on and off the field through Benjamin." He added, "I also want to learn a lot from Benjamin." “I will work hard to become a senior who can naturally take care of my juniors and whom my juniors can approach,” he said, raising his voice.
Starting pitcher Hyeong-Jun So, who is currently rehabilitating his elbow, said, "Thanks to Benjamin providing a space for me, I was able to talk about various things with pitchers of similar experience. I also felt many things when I saw them taking care of even the bullpen catchers." “I hope this good atmosphere continues until the end of the season and we all get good results,” he said with a smile.
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