Korean Player Hwang Jae Gyun Is Famous for Epic Bat Flip
A Korean player is making a buzz in the internet world for his epic bat flip. Hwang Jae Gyun, who plays third baseman in Korea Baseball Organization's Lotte Giants, is all over the news following his impressive bat flip during a game against the NC Dinos last July.
Sports Illustrated describes it as the "most ostentatious Korean bat flip of all time." Yahoo! Sports see it as the "world's greatest bat flip," while CBS Sports says it's the "mother of all bat flips."
While a lot of people are impressed by Hwang's epic bat flip, New York Times has reported on Wednesday that such an act is deemed rude in the United States.
Lotte is behind by one in the ninth inning when Hwang makes the bat flip, which goes all the way to the left-field line. The 28-year-old player watches if the ball will land in the fair territory. When he realizes he has hit a homerun, he flips the bat into the air.
"I was kind of nervous about it," Hwang says. "I wasn't sure if it was a negative thing - like, 'What is this jerk doing?'"
After his epic act, the Korean player has received messages from his American teammates. Also, it has become a craze in South Korea, with other players imitating Hwang.
"We laugh about it because we can't imagine a player doing that in America," Minnesota Twins' Torii Hunter comments. "In America, it would be considered so disrespectful that the next time he came up to the plate, he'd get hit right in the neck, guaranteed."
Bat flip is commonly called 'ppa-dun' in Korea - a combination of the first syllables of 'bat' and 'throw.'
Dan Kurtz is the first to promote Korean bat flips on his website MyKBO.net, which he has established in 2001 for English-speaking KBO fans. In his effort to support the Korean league, Kurtz uploads videos. On May 15,2013, Kurtz has introduced Korean bat flips into the consciousness of American sports.
Fans who show disapproval on bat flips have decreased in number ever since ESPN has featured one his clips on five programs in September 2013. It features Choi Jun Seok, a broad-shouldered slugger known for quality flips.
"I used to get a lot more comments like 'that guy needs a 95-mile-an-hour fastball to the head,'" Kurtz says. "Well, you still have those. They're called St. Louis Cardinals fans," he adds.