, ‘Let’s take away the passport’ as a joke to top foreign players. A passport is an international identification card that proves the identity and nationality of a person traveling or staying in a foreign country. If you do not have a passport, entry and exit is restricted.
There is a player who is in a difficult situation because of his passport. Robert Gsselman (30), a foreign pitcher for the Yokohama DeNA Baystars of the Nippon Professional Baseball, had his passport stolen recently and his joining the spring camp was delayed.
Japanese media outlets, including ‘Daily Sports,’ reported on the 27th that Gselmann’s entry into Japan was delayed due to theft of his passport. The DeNA club is also investigating the details.
Gselman was included in the DeNA 1st team spring camp to be held next month in Ginowan, Okinawa, Japan, but it is currently unknown when he will join. He expects to join the club in mid-February.
Gsselman, who debuted with the New York Mets in 2016, played seven seasons in the major leagues until last year. He pitched 366 innings in 184 career games (34 starts), going 20-18 with 15 saves with a 4.60 earned run average and 289 strikeouts.
After recording an average ERA of 4.70 in 8 games and 2 losses with the Chicago Cubs last year, he headed to Japan in mid-July. He debuted on the Japanese stage as a substitute for DeNA, and pitched well with a 2.66 average ERA in 4 games (20⅓ innings) with 1 win and 1 loss. After the season, he succeeded in renewing the contract and is expected to play a full season this year, but it was creaked from the start due to passport theft before camp.
Meanwhile, in Korea in the past, pitcher Kim Byeong-hyeon (44) from the major leagues became the protagonist of an embarrassing incident due to passport issues. In 2009, 14 years ago, before the World Baseball Classic (WBC) baseball team’s field training in Hawaii, he lost his passport and was excluded from the final entry. He found his passport, but lost the trust of coach Kim In-shik and the national team coaching staff, so rejoining failed.
At the time, SK coach Kim Seong-geun said, “It was a joke to look at the Taegeukgi. He strongly criticized Kim Byung-hyun, saying, “Betrayal of director Kim In-sik.” Kim Byung-hyun posted on his fan cafe, “My self who became a local baseball player, third-rate comedian BK,” saying, “As a national player, I made a big mistake that I should never have done. In one moment, he carelessly became a neighborhood baseball player. He expressed his apology, saying, “I am deeply reflecting