SSG Landers new foreign pitcher Kirk McCarty’s family visited the Florida campsite.
The SSG team’s 2023 spring camp is underway in Vero Beach, Florida, USA. From the 1st of Korean time, we started preparing for the new season in earnest.
After 10 days of camp, I saw a family in Vero Beach. The family watched McCarty pitching in the bullpen on the 12th (Korean time). McCarty’s parents, wife and McCarty’s 9-month-old daughter were also present. McCarty’s father-in-law was also present.
The family came here on the 11th because McCarty was going to play for a KBO league team, and the campground was set up in the United States. McCarty’s parents “came from Mississippi, USA. He drove about 10 hours on his own,” he said with a laugh.
McCarty, his wife and daughter live in Mississippi. And his wife’s family came from relatively nearby Tampa, Florida.
Family members said they were “very happy” that McCarty would be playing baseball in Korea wearing an SSG uniform. McCarty’s wife and daughter will be cheering near Vero Beach throughout the camp, and both parents will stay for about a week before returning.
McCarty’s father-in-law is proud of his son-in-law who is passionate about Korean baseball. They said, “We only have a daughter. He thinks of McCarty like his own son. He is always a good son. He is also a son who lives hard.”
McCarty’s wife said, “He’s the best husband ever. And she is the best dad ever,” she thanked. Her wife even introduced ‘Love Story’, saying, “We started dating when we were in high school and got married.”
McCarty’s bullpen pitching ended while her family spoke to reporters. As McCarty approached her family, her wife was the first to greet her with open arms. The family is also planning to visit Korea in the summer to watch McCarty play. He said he wanted to see his son play in Korea.
“It was my first bullpen pitching in front of his daughter,” said McCarty, who met his family after pitching in the bullpen.
McCarty is from Mississippi, USA, and joined the Cleveland Guardians in the 7th round (222 overall) in 2017 after graduating from Southern Mississippi University. From the 2021 season, he started as a starting pitcher in the minor leagues (Triple A) in earnest, and that year he recorded 9 wins, 6 losses, and an earned run average of 5.01 in 24 games and 124 innings. The following year, he was called up to the major leagues for the first time, going 4-3 with a 4.54 earned run average in 13 major league games. 안전놀이터