By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, July 27 (Yonhap) -- Park Chan-ho, the first South Korean to play in Major League Baseball (MLB), grew up admiring owners of big league clubs. Park, who made his MLB debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1994, recalls being particularly impressed with then Dodgers owner Peter O'Malley, who traveled to South Korea to recruit Park while he was in college.

Following his retirement, Park had been trying to join the ranks of MLB owners. He has finally realized his dream, with the Park-led consortium Team61 signing on to make a US$70 million investment in the Athletics, a team valued at approximately $2 billion.

Park announced his consortium's strategic partnership with the Athletics at a press conference in Seoul on Monday, the first case of South Korean capital buying into an MLB team. The Athletics were previously based in Oakland, California, and are currently playing out of West Sacramento, with a move to Las Vegas scheduled for 2028.

"It has been a dream of mine to become an owner of a major league club. I have long admired the many owners I have had a chance to meet, and they have all left a lasting impression on me," said Park, who will also serve as senior adviser to the Athletics' majority owner, John Fisher. "We will not have enough of a stake to have management control of the team. However, as a senior adviser, I will provide advice to John Fisher on scouting and player acquisitions."

Park revealed that he had attempted to buy into the San Diego Padres, one of his former clubs for whom he had also been an adviser. O'Malley, who became a minority owner of the Padres after his time with the Dodgers, tried to help Park along the way, but Park acknowledged it was "quite difficult" for him to break into an ownership structure for a team with such a strong foundation and fanbase.

Park sensed an opportunity open up with the Athletics' relocation plans. He first met Fisher in 2023, and the two struck a quick friendship.

Park, who won 124 games over his 17-year MLB career, said he believes he can help the Athletics with player development, in particular on the pitching front.

"I think I can really help the club by communicating with their coaches," Park added. "In terms of management, I think Team61 can play an influential role in creating a new fanbase for the A's."

Fisher spoke of being sold on Park's proposal for a partnership "immediately."

"The idea was so exciting," he said. "I understood that Koreans love baseball, they love entertainment, and they love Las Vegas. But what Chan-ho described was a partnership to help grow the Athletics and the game of baseball. We are tremendously excited and proud of this partnership, one of its kind in U.S. professional sports with significant Korean ownership and involvement in our Major League Baseball team. Chan-ho and his Team61 bring a global perspective, a deep appreciation for baseball, business, leadership and innovation, and strong relationships throughout Korea and Asia."

Both Park and Fisher said their partnership will open doors for South Korean companies to expand their reach in Las Vegas and for the Athletics to establish their presence in South Korea.

To that end, Marc Badain, president of the Athletics, said he would love a chance for his team to play games in South Korea.

"We would also love to invite some of the Korean teams to Las Vegas to play in the new ballpark, so hopefully we can accomplish both," Badain said. "The game is global. The talent reach is global, and we hope to capitalize on that and bring some players. And we plan on raising a lot of awareness not just for the Athletics but with this partnership with Chan-ho and with the creation and hopefully evolution of more awareness of the Korean baseball passion in the fanbase."

jeeho@yna.co.kr

(END)

  • 'Dracula' featuring Jennie maintains No. 5 on Billboard 100
  • 'Agent Kim Reactivated' reigns atop Netflix's weekly non-English chart for 3rd week
  • Nam Joo-hyuk to star in new Disney+ crime thriller 'Code'
  • Actor Lee Dong-wook promises intense action, catharsis in 2nd season of 'A Shop for Killers'

  • Psy's 'Gangnam Style' tops 6 billion YouTube views

  • Disney+ to release 2nd season of 'Made in Korea' in Sept.

  • (LEAD) S. Korea, U.S. open shipbuilding partnership center to advance MASGA initiative
  • (URGENT) S. Korea's Daejeon selected as host city for 2029 Invictus Games: veterans ministry
  • Actor Lee Dong-wook promises intense action, catharsis in 2nd season of 'A Shop for Killers'

  • Lee's apartment sold for 2.9 bln won

  • Russia preparing to receive another 30,000 N. Korean troops for Ukraine war: Zelenskyy

  • President Lee wraps up visit to San Francisco, heads to S. America
  • Lee arrives in Brazil for summit with Lula, business roundtable
  • SK hynix expected to post record 64.1 tln won in Q2 operating profit: report
  • N. Korean leader's sister rebuffs ARF denuclearization call, vows to update nuclear arsenal 'steadily'