Half a world away, an overnight sensation
As KBO opens play, all eyes on former Tulsa Union star Drew Rucinski
Drew Ru c in ski took the mound on a cloudy afternoon in Daegu, South Korea, as Monday night gave way to Tuesday morning in the U.S.
The former Tulsa Union star fired strike one.
Rucinski pitched to a capt i ve audience of American baseball fans who didn't mind sacrificing a few hours of sleep. No spectators were allowed in the 24,000-seat stadium, but ESPN aired a live look as Rucinski's NC Dinos beat the Samsung Lions 4-0 on Opening Day in the Korean Baseball Organization.
Fifteen years after winning back-to-back Class 6A state baseball championships at Tulsa Union, Rucinski struck out six batters in six scoreless innings.
The 31- year-old righthander has been on a baseball odyssey since high school. Rucinski signed with Ohio State over offers from OU and OSU.
Then came time in independent baseball and every level of the minor leagues. Rucinski threw a combined 54 big-league innings in brief stints with the Angels, Twins and Marlins between 2014-18.
Rucinski wasn't even the ace on those Tulsa Union title teams in 2005 and 2006. Matt Willis, who pitched at OSU, started the 2006 championship game against heavily favored Owasso, but Rucinski picked up the win in relief.
“He was very inspirational in that 2006 run we had ,” said Shawn Newkirk, Tulsa Union's longtime coach.
“Drew could've been our No. 1,” Newkirk added. “Actually, it was a dogfight as to which one was the better pitcher. Drew, he's not gonna wow you with a lot of things ... He just committed to the pitch and went right at hitters. His time on the mound was his time, and he took responsibility for that.”
Ru c in ski began his second KB O season Tuesday after going 9-9 with a 3.05 ERA last year with the Dinos, a team based in Changwon, South Korea.
ESPN's Karl Ravech and Eduardo Perez, broadcasting from their homes, offered a KBO crash course for curious viewers. The league was established in 1982. Ten teams instead of 30. Regular seasons of 144 games, not 162. Ties after 12 innings. And, perhaps most famously, a league where audacious bat flips are celebrated instead of scorned.
Major League Baseball should be in its second full month of the season, but the coronavirus pandemic has proven to be an indefinite delay. Though the scene in South Korea offered hope. Once a hotspot for the virus, the country of 51 million is now reporting single-digit daily new case numbers.
Still, even with the familiar crack of the bat and thud of the ball meeting the glove, the sport looked and sounded different.
The home plate umpire wore a mask behind his mask. The first and third base coaches were also masked. High-fives were frowned upon and spitting was prohibited. Ambient noise was piped in to distract from the eeriness of the empty seats.
“It' s kind of weird, because the fans are such a big part of the game here in Korea,” Rucinski said recently on a Baseball America podcast. “It's crazy. No matter the score, the fans are going wild.”
He was asked how it might affect the game.
“That adrenaline's still gonna be there,” Rucinski said. “Now, will it stay throughout the season without fans there? That's a real question. I don't know.”
Rucinski's adrenaline carried him through six innings. He scowled and hopped after borderline calls but managed to escape every jam and record the win.
“That speaks of Drew Ru c ins kirightt here ,” Newkirk said. “He's not gonna back down. He's not gonna quit. That's just him. He's gonna keep fighting and keep competing to try to get someone's attention.”
The tired eyes of baseball fans halfway around the world paid attention Tuesday morning.