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Jae Weong Seo
Seo with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Kia Tigers – No. 98
Pitcher / pitching coach
Born: (1977-05-24) May 24, 1977 (age 47) Kwangju, South Korea
Batted: RightThrew: Right
Professional debut
MLB: July 21, 2002, for the New York Mets
KBO: April 1, 2008, for the Kia Tigers
Last appearance
MLB: May 29, 2007, for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
KBO: August 17, 2015, for the Kia Tigers
MLB statistics
Win–loss record	28–40
Earned run average	4.60
Strikeouts	340
KBO statistics
Win–loss record	42–48
Earned run average	4.30
Strikeouts	417
Stats at Baseball Reference
Teams
New York Mets (2002–2005) Los Angeles Dodgers (2006) Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2006–2007) Kia Tigers (2008–2015)
Career highlights and awards
Korean Series champion (2009)
Medals Men's baseball Representing  South Korea World Baseball Classic 2006 San Diego Team

Jae Weong Seo (Korean: 서재응; Hanja: 徐在應; Korean pronunciation: [sʌ.dʑɛ̝.ɯŋ]; born May 24, 1977), usually referred to as simply Jae Seo and pronounced "Jay So", is a retired South Korean professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Seo subsequently returned to South Korea to join the KBO League's Kia Tigers.

Career

Seo attended Gwangju Jeil High School (graduating in 1996), and Inha University in Incheon, South Korea, where he led his team to the Korean collegiate championship in 1997.

In 1998, Seo was signed as a free agent by the New York Mets. After an excellent first year of professional play, Seo underwent reconstructive surgery on his elbow in 1999. He did not pitch again until 2001. On July 21, 2002, Seo made his major league debut with a scoreless inning of relief against the Cincinnati Reds. In 2003, Seo spent the entire season with the Mets as a starting pitcher. He logged 188 innings pitched and 31 games started, both tops among rookie pitchers in the National League that year. In 2004, Seo struggled, splitting his time between the Mets and the Triple-A Norfolk Tides.

When he first pitched in the major leagues, he had two pitches – a fastball which topped out at 91–92 miles per hour (he threw in the mid-90s before Tommy John surgery), and a deceptive changeup in the mid 80s. Not being able to throw as hard as earlier in his career meant it was important for Seo to maintain a high degree of control over his pitches which, on occasion he was unable to do. This, along with Seo's reluctance to change his pitching mechanics, led to confrontations with Mets' pitching coach Rick Peterson.

In 2005, Seo seemed to have taken heed of this advice, developing a slider, splitter, and curveball. The Mets' surplus of pitchers resulted in his spending much of the year at Norfolk. However, he was called up to the majors in early August 2005, and pitched extremely well.

On January 4, 2006, Seo was dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers along with Tim Hamulack in exchange for relievers Duaner Sánchez and Steve Schmoll. On June 26, he was traded by the Dodgers, along with catcher Dioner Navarro and outfielder Justin Ruggiano to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in exchange for pitcher Mark Hendrickson and catcher Toby Hall. Seo made his debut with the Rays on June 28, 2006, against the Florida Marlins, pitching two scoreless innings.

In 2007, despite his strong performance during spring training, he recorded a 3–4 record with an 8.13 ERA. He was then sent to the Triple-A Durham Bulls and had a solid season of 9–4 with 3.69 ERA.

On December 11, 2007, Seo signed with the Kia Tigers of the Korea Professional Baseball League.

International play

Seo was selected and played for the South Korean national team in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. He pitched extremely well, having tied with the second lowest ERA in the tournament with the Dominican Republic's Bartolo Colón, with a 0.64 ERA. In the semi-final game against Japan, in 6 innings Seo did not allow a single run. Even though Japan eventually won the game, Seo's start was still considered one of the best pitching performances in the WBC.

References

1. ^ No, Gyeong-yeol (노경열) (January 29, 2010). "KIA 서재응, 팔꿈치 부상 딛고 5선발 도전...조범현 "재활 배려"" (in Korean). The Chosun Ilbo. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
2. Keh, Andrew. "School Spirit May Be Metaphysical for South Korean Baseball Players," New York Times (Oct. 2, 2015).

External links

• Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
• Career statistics and player information from Korea Baseball Organization (in Korean)

• 1977 births
• Living people
• Baseball players from Gwangju
• Major League Baseball players from South Korea
• South Korean expatriate baseball players in the United States
• Major League Baseball pitchers
• New York Mets players
• Los Angeles Dodgers players
• Tampa Bay Devil Rays players
• 2006 World Baseball Classic players
• Navegantes del Magallanes players
• South Korean expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
• Kia Tigers players
• Gulf Coast Mets players
• St. Lucie Mets players
• Binghamton Mets players
• Norfolk Tides players
• Durham Bulls players
• 2013 World Baseball Classic players
• Asian Games medalists in baseball
• Baseball players at the 1998 Asian Games
• Medalists at the 1998 Asian Games
• Asian Games gold medalists for South Korea
• South Korean Buddhists
• Icheon Seo clan