Major League Baseball will enjoy even greater popularity among Korean fans this season, as Korea's first Major Leaguer, Park Chan-ho, now playing for the Philadelphia Phillies, made the rotation for starting pitchers for the first time in three years. With just seven more wins, Park, who has 117 wins, 92 losses and two saves in his Major League career, will surpass Japanese pitcher Hideo Nomo's record of 123 wins -- the most by an Asian pitcher. Park is scheduled to make his first start of the season in an away game against the Colorado Rockies on Apr. 13 (KST).
Choo Shin-soo of the Cleveland Indians is also likely to engross Korean fans. Choo, who made up for his early struggles in the WBC with two timely and crucial homeruns in the semifinal and final of the WBC, has secured the starting right-fielder position this year.
East coast teams are expected to dominate this year's MLB, which features 30 teams and a total of 2,430 games, meaning each team plays 162 games, in both the American and National Leagues. Reigning MLB champion Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets, which has reinforced its bullpen, are likely to battle for the top spot in the National League. In the American League, perennial rivals New York Yanks and Boston Red Sox will showcase their usual heated rivalry.
