More than an MLB interpreter: Ryu Hyun-jin's right-hand man, Bryan Lee
- 4 years ago
'류현진의 오른팔' MLB 통역사 브라이언 리
Three MLB games, including Dodgers-Giants, were called off on Thursday as teams protest Jacob Blake shooting... which means Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin didn't play.
But that same gap gave Arirang News a chance to look into the special bond Ryu shares with his interpreter, Bryan Lee.
Our Han Seong-woo has the story.
One of baseball's best left-handers, Toronto Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin, has an impressive right-hand man.
That man is Ryu's interpreter since his Dodger days in 2017, Bryan Lee.
Immersed in baseball since his youth, Lee's love of "America's national pastime" saw him major in sports management and eventually go on to translate in Major League Baseball.
"This is my 4th year working with Ryu, and Hyun-jin obviously being one of the best pitchers to come out of Korea, if not the best... It's really surreal to be right next to him and help him."
In a sport like baseball where communication is key, the language barrier can be frustrating at times for players from abroad.
Miscommunication in the middle of play can result in a costly mistake.
But when in doubt, Ryu knows he always has one man at his side.
"Granted, Ryu has a real good grasp of the language at this point, but even then, little nuances or little details can get lost because English isn't necessarily his first language... so because of that reason I try to be nit-picky and really try to pay attention to the details."
Lee, who's also a pitching analyst, has come to be Ryu's close friend...
He even calls the southpaw his "big brother".
"I consider him as like an older brother, like a 'hyung', and hopefully he sees me the same as 'dongseng' but we'll see (laughs). You can ask him that question."
But the relationship goes beyond that.
Lee even calls Ryu a mentor whose perfectionism awes him every day.
"The amount of time that he thinks about baseball is just ridiculous to my eyes because if he's not sleeping, he's thinking about how... you know. He's thinking about baseball. So it's been fun to pick his brain. He's like a mentor to me as well, so..." There's just 30-odd games remaining in the shortened 2020 MLB season.
But the Ryu and Lee saga is far from over.
In fact, it's going strong... from wearing the Dodger blue to leading the line for the Blue Jays.
Han Seong-woo, Arirang News.
Three MLB games, including Dodgers-Giants, were called off on Thursday as teams protest Jacob Blake shooting... which means Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin didn't play.
But that same gap gave Arirang News a chance to look into the special bond Ryu shares with his interpreter, Bryan Lee.
Our Han Seong-woo has the story.
One of baseball's best left-handers, Toronto Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin, has an impressive right-hand man.
That man is Ryu's interpreter since his Dodger days in 2017, Bryan Lee.
Immersed in baseball since his youth, Lee's love of "America's national pastime" saw him major in sports management and eventually go on to translate in Major League Baseball.
"This is my 4th year working with Ryu, and Hyun-jin obviously being one of the best pitchers to come out of Korea, if not the best... It's really surreal to be right next to him and help him."
In a sport like baseball where communication is key, the language barrier can be frustrating at times for players from abroad.
Miscommunication in the middle of play can result in a costly mistake.
But when in doubt, Ryu knows he always has one man at his side.
"Granted, Ryu has a real good grasp of the language at this point, but even then, little nuances or little details can get lost because English isn't necessarily his first language... so because of that reason I try to be nit-picky and really try to pay attention to the details."
Lee, who's also a pitching analyst, has come to be Ryu's close friend...
He even calls the southpaw his "big brother".
"I consider him as like an older brother, like a 'hyung', and hopefully he sees me the same as 'dongseng' but we'll see (laughs). You can ask him that question."
But the relationship goes beyond that.
Lee even calls Ryu a mentor whose perfectionism awes him every day.
"The amount of time that he thinks about baseball is just ridiculous to my eyes because if he's not sleeping, he's thinking about how... you know. He's thinking about baseball. So it's been fun to pick his brain. He's like a mentor to me as well, so..." There's just 30-odd games remaining in the shortened 2020 MLB season.
But the Ryu and Lee saga is far from over.
In fact, it's going strong... from wearing the Dodger blue to leading the line for the Blue Jays.
Han Seong-woo, Arirang News.