Korea was a new world for me Tuckman Can't Forget KBO, Life Changed In Korea

In fact, even these days, players who have not succeeded in the KBO League still fail to return to the Major League and end their careers in the minor leagues. Mike Tuckman (33, Chicago Cubs), who signed a contract with Hanwha ahead of the 2022 season, also does not deny that he took the KBO league stage with the idea that "it could be."

Tuckman made his major league debut in Colorado in 2017 and went through the New York Yankees and San Francisco. There was a time when he was loved by fans as a solid player with both public, defensive, and defensive skills and a player with a lot of determination. However, he was only a player at the end of the 26-man roster. He was not a solid main player, and after the 2021 season, he became a player without a team that offered good conditions. At that time, Hanwha's proposal was made, and Tuckman crossed the Pacific Ocean with his family.

Tuckman, who was interviewed by the Chicago Tribune on July 31 (Korea Standard Time), recalled that it was not so difficult to decide to go to Korea, saying that he had not received specific offers from big league teams at the time. However, he confessed, "I understood the reality that I might not be able to play in the Major League again."

However, Tuckman came to Korea with positive thoughts and played for Hanwha for a year. Although it was not a special performance, he contributed to the team in his own way. And that year remained a very precious experience and a turning point in my life. The failure to renew the contract brought great luck.

The Chicago Tribune pointed out that a year spent in Hanwha was very important, saying, "Without the year in Korea, the Palatine native's big league journey could not have paid off." Tuckman also picked his year in Korea as an unforgettable memory, saying it provided him and his wife with a "positive experience" and a "new world."

The Chicago Tribune analyzed, "The most important thing in terms of baseball was that even the time to explore inherent problems from the language barrier gave him a chance to reset." Tuckman also said, "Here (Major League) was struggling with a few things, including confidence in terms of spirit. "In Korea, I am somewhat alone, and I also expected to play every day," he said adding, "That was what I expected."

Unlike Major League Baseball, which often sits on the bench, in Korea, they were able to maintain and supplement their performance by playing steadily. There was less stress because no one touched it. "For a year, I had to work things out on my own and manage things on my own," Tuckman said. But I liked it," he said, recalling that it was a time when he was able to solve many problems mentally.

That's how Tuckman reset everything for a year and returned to the U.S., and he performed better than expected this year, becoming an indispensable outfielder for the Cubs.

Tuckman, who signed a minor league contract with the Cubs, took advantage of Cody Bellinger's knee injury at the beginning of the season and succeeded in promoting to the Major League, and is contributing to the team by playing steadily. In 56 games of the season, he is spending the best season in his major league career with a batting average of 0.269, five home runs, 27 RBIs, and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage). I'm still in a precarious position, but I've set the stage for other teams' offers, even if it's not necessarily the Cubs. Going to Korea was not the end of my career, but the beginning.

Tuckman actually said something unexpected that he didn't expect to return to the Major League until he signed a minor league contract with the Cubs. Iowa, where the Cubs' Triple-A team is located, was close to their home, so there was a reason why they were related to their families.

At the same time, "I was very grateful for it to get a chance, and I just tried to enjoy it. Such a mental reset helped," he said, adding, "I had a hard time with things related to the pandemic and 2021. I felt like I wasn't myself. I feel much more comfortable now," he explained.

Tuckman said he let go a lot. In his youth, he was under pressure to produce results, but now that he has played many at-bats, he has learned that some at-bats work well, some at-bats don't, and that the results have nothing to do with the next at-bat.

"Hitting in the big leagues is very difficult, so I'm trying to keep the same perspective as this year," Tuckman said. "That's also difficult, and there's little I can do because of the pitcher on some days, but I'm continuing to try," he said.

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