White Seagulls, who played in the 'Shock' KBO, battled stroke → is recovering quickly..."Baseball gave me a new life"
White Seagulls, who played in the 'Shock' KBO, battled stroke → is recovering quickly..."Baseball gave me a new life"
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Kareem Garcia, who was famous as the "White Seagull" in the KBO League, confessed to fighting a stroke. Fortunately, he is improving rapidly without any major aftereffects.
Garcia announced his illness on social media on the 24th (Korea time), saying, "I suffered a stroke last weekend, and according to doctors, it affected most of the right side of the brain."먹튀검증
"Doctors say my whole life's dedication to sports helped me overcome unfortunate events with little aftereffects," he said. "I'm recovering very well. I can move my arms and legs without any problems, eat alone, bathe myself, and have perfect eyesight."
He is not in perfect shape yet. "There are some words that are hard to pronounce, but I believe we can overcome them with treatment and family support," Garcia said.
Garcia said, "I am grateful that sports, especially baseball, that have brought me so much satisfaction, have given me so many new opportunities in life." He also posted a photo taken at his hospital bed and a brief message, "I am being discharged to recuperate at home."
Born in Mexico, Garcia made his Major League debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1995. He has played for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians (now the Guardians), New York Yankees, and New York Mets. His overall batting average in the big league was 0.241, which made him difficult to contact, but he was so powerful that he made four double-digit home run seasons. His overall Major League performance is 352 hits, 66 homers, 212 RBIs and 0.703 OPS.
Starting in 2005, Garcia made inroads into the Japanese professional baseball league, marking a turning point in his career in the East. After joining the Orix Buffaloes, Garcia made 186 hits, 34 home runs, 97 RBIs and posted a batting average of 0.281 OPS of 0.804 in 191 games during the two seasons. In the 2005 season, he hit 21 home runs and posted a batting average of 0.307, but in the following year, he was released after hitting only 13 home runs and 0.249.
Garcia, who played in the Mexican league in 2007, wore the uniform of the Lotte Giants the following year. He was loved by Lotte fans due to his long drive and his unique fan service. Together with Cho Sung-hwan, Lee Dae-ho and Hong Seong-hun, he formed the so-called "Cho Dae-hongal" lineup, spearheading Lotte's offensive baseball. He ranked first in RBIs in 2008 and second in homers (30), third in homers (29) in 2009, and fourth in homers (26) in 2010.
However, the team failed to renew the contract with Lotte after the end of the 2010 season. Due to chronic accuracy issues and poor performance in every season, the team was suspected of having an aging curve. At that time, the KBO League could only have two foreign players. At that time, Lotte showed weakness in pitching power compared to its strong batting power, and Lotte chose a combination of two pitchers over one pitcher and one batter.
He seemed to leave the KBO League, but made a surprise comeback as Hanwha Eagles. In 2011, the Hanwha Eagles released pitcher Julio DePola and hired Garcia, who played in the Mexican League, as a substitute for the Korean pitcher. Garcia hit a grand slam for the second straight day against the KIA Tigers on June 15 and 16, signaling the king's return. On top of that, he garnered a walk-off home run against the Doosan Bears on June 17, sending Hanwha fans wild.
That was the final spark. Contact, who has been holding back his career, was in trouble again, despite his slugging ability. In 2011, Garcia recorded 66 hits in 72 games with 18 homers and 61 RBIs with a 0.246 OPS of 0.801, and the Hanwha Eagles did not continue their contract with Garcia. Garcia then continued his career in the Mexican League, and announced his retirement at the age of 40 in 2016.
Garcia's overall performance in the KBO league is 428 hits, 103 homers, 339 RBIs, and a batting average of 0.264 OPS of 0.849 in 445 games.