(photos courtesy of University of Virginia Athletics)
Spring training for Tyler Wilson started at the end of January with three weeks in Sydney, Australia.
Wilson, a former University of Virginia star who is in his third year pitching for the LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), and his teammates then traveled to Okinawa, Japan for the second half of camp. The plan was to stay in Okinawa until March 19, but because of the rapid spread of the coronavirus pandemic, borders in Japan and Korea were being closed, and preparations for the season were scuttled. On March 7, Wilson was sent home.
“I flew back to the United States, where I stayed for 12 days waiting to see what was going to happen,” Wilson wrote to CollegeBaseballInsider.com. “During that time, I trained in local parks and with friends at indoor facilities in private. All the while, things worsened in the U.S. and improved in Korea.”
His Korean team requested him to return on March 21.
Upon arriving in Korea weeks before the start of the season, Wilson was tested for coronavirus (negative) and ordered to stay in his apartment for a 14-day quarantine. For two weeks, he trained to the best of his ability in a 12-by-12 room. His throwing partner? A mattress.
Wilson then had about three weeks of practice with his teammates before the KBO League had Opening Day, albeit five weeks later than originally scheduled.
That Wilson, one of the KBO’s top pitchers, struggled in his first start wasn’t surprising in light of the previous month. He allowed seven earned runs, which matched the total earned runs he allowed in his final five starts of a 2019 season that saw him go 14-7 with a 2.92 ERA. Over two years, the righthander has gone 23-11 with 286 strikeouts and 79 walks in 355 innings.
“I am still actively trying to build up a foundation to last what is projected to be a full-length season without any breaks, while competing against domestic players who have been training for three months,” Wilson wrote. “It has been a challenging few months, but I am grateful for the opportunity it is to be playing, no matter how unique the circumstances.”
Wilson, who helped Virginia to the College World Series in 2009 and 2011 and appeared in 42 games (19 starts) over three years with the Baltimore Orioles, took time with CollegeBaseballInsider.com to share his experiences of baseball – and life – during a pandemic.
Opening Day has arrived in the KBO. What are you feeling as you see sports all over the world shut down and you are getting started?
I am thankful that baseball is back! As I mentioned, it has been a wild few months that includes four separate countries amidst a global pandemic. It has been a unique experience for everyone. With that being said, it is not lost on me that I am afforded the opportunity to go to work every day and do something that I enjoy. I am optimistic the KBO can lay the framework for sports returning to play around the world.
Describe what it’s like to play in stadiums without fans.
It has been a totally different experience playing in stadiums without fans. The first eight exhibition games had zero spectators aside from players, coaches and members of the media. During those games, there was absolutely zero background noise, and I experienced sounds that I have never heard on a professional field before. There were no announcements or mid-pitch/inning promotions. There was no chatter in the stands or echoing cheers. But I could hear my spikes crunching in the dirt. I could hear the batter’s movements 60-feet-6 inches away. I could hear conversations in the dugout and even the broadcaster in the booth commentating on the live TV stream.
However, now that official games have started back up, the cheerleaders and MC’s are back in the stands blasting team anthems and players’ songs through the loud speakers. This creates ample background noise to drown out the eerie silence. At this point, we have grown accustomed to the new environment, and at times it feels like an extremely high-level pickup game. All the distractions are minimized, and we are just out their competing.
What is it normally like playing in the KBO?
As a follow-up to the mentions above, normal play in the KBO is electric. The fans are what makes the league so spectacularly different than anywhere else I have played baseball in my life. I have been fortunate to have passionate fan bases at the University of Virginia and in Baltimore, particularly off the field. However, LG Twins fans take game engagement to an entirely new level with their song and dance. The fan base is truly hinged on every single pitch from the first to the last. They create a playoff atmosphere for every single game, no matter the significance.
Your season was delayed by five weeks. How did that affect your preparation for the season? What was it like for the team?
Quarantine drastically impacted my ability to prepare appropriately. During a four-week span, I traveled back and forth from Korea to the U.S. where I didn’t have access to public training facilities. Then I returned to a two-week isolation where my catch partner was a mattress leaning up against the wall. Needless to say, it has been the strangest preseason of my life. I still feel as though I am trying to make up for lost time even though the start date was delayed. My team returned to Seoul in early March and continued training as normal so thankfully, they have had a steady and full preseason.
What precautions are you and your teammates taking now that games have started? What’s a typical day look like?
Typically, we arrive to the field to get our temperature checked and then are isolated from any media exposure. We aim to minimize contact with the rest of the outside world, not because conditions are worrisome, but just in an extended effort to protect the integrity of the league. If one player contracts the virus, the league has stated it will suspend play for three weeks. We all wear masks and wash hands while being separated from any non-essential contact (media interviews, gear reps, fans, etc.) while at the stadium.
ESPN is broadcasting six KBO games a week. What can fans expect?
I am excited for the KBO to be on ESPN. Fans can expect wild back and forth games unlike any they have ever seen before. It is not uncommon to have multiple lead changes in the back half of the game as there tends to be one big hit after another. With that being said, it is not the MLB. The MLB has the greatest, most talented players in the world – that’s why they’re in the MLB. You will not see guys throwing 105 mph or hitting 500-plus foot homers, but you will see extremely passionate and competitive teams whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I am excited for the day when fans return so that ESPN viewers can get the full effect of what gameday in the KBO is like.
If you don’t mind, who are some of the pitchers to watch? How about some of the top hitters?
Of the players who have yet to ply their trade in the States, Yang Hyeon-jong is the Kia Tigers’ ace and has been one of the league’s premier pitchers for over a decade. Ko Woo-seok is our (LG Twins) closer who has a tremendous arm and is just 21 years old – I could see him following the path of Seung-hwan Oh, the former Rockies and Blue Jays reliever. Lee Young-ha is the young budding ace for the reigning Champion Doosan Bears who also has MLB potential.
As far as hitters go, nobody hits me better in this league than SK’s outfielder Ko Jong-wook. If it’s moving forward, he can hit it – unbelievable hand-eye coordination. Kiwoom shortstop Kim Ha-seong is likely the best player in the league and a sure-fire big leaguer who should make the transition overseas in coming years. His teammate Lee Jung-hoo has big-time bloodlines and could very well end up in the MLB alongside Kim.
You and your wife have young children. What has it been like preparing for the season and taking care of your family in the midst of the pandemic?
Unquestionably the most challenging part of this pandemic has been balancing the emotion of loving my family well as a father and husband while providing for them vocationally. I am grateful for my job and the opportunity it has provided me to see the world and provide experiences for Chelsea, Max and Brady, but it hasn’t come without a cost. How do you quantify being apart from the people you love the most in the world during the first (and hopefully only) pandemic of our generation? How do you compare that to the chance that I have to provide for them financially and fulfill my contractual obligation to the LG Twins organization?
It is a song and dance I struggle with every hour of every day. Nothing will ever matter more to me in this life than Chelsea and my boys, and at times my heart feels called to make that priority known with a difficult decision. However, the greatest thing I have experienced in my life is my relationship with Jesus Christ. I have certainty in knowing my God is sovereign and has our family exactly where we are supposed to be. So long as I can have the faith and trust to be present in this season of life, God promises to work all things for good, even when it hurts. It is the assurance that I have in a life dedicated to honoring my Creator that gives me peace in the most difficult season of my life.
One of the many lessons this pandemic has taught me is that nothing in this world will ever be enough to satisfy our fleshly desires. We will always want more. Please understand, I am extremely grateful for the chance that I have to show up to work, do my job, get paid to do so, and provide for my family. This gift is not lost on me. However, the holes left in separation from home, family and a greater purpose are so much greater than the absence of something tangible. I say this as an encouragement to make the most out of the season of life you are in. Rather than longing for it to be over, use it as an opportunity to change your perspective.
There are so many layers to this conversation that a Q&A could never fully uncover, but I’ll leave it at this. If you can make a difference in one life today, what type of effect could that have over a lifetime? What if everybody looked at it this way? This pandemic has been painful, and it will inevitably have residual effects, but that pain only bears the power that we give it. Choose a new purpose and perspective today. You were created for so much more.