Korean All-Stars get a chance to shine

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This article was published 07/08/2024 (780 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Korean Winnipeggers have a baseball team to call their own, thanks to Joon Chon’s desire to play the game he loves in Canada.

For the past half-decade, the KBO All-Stars have played in the Winnipeg Senior Baseball League.

The story begins 22 years ago, when Chon arrived in Winnipeg from South Korea. The baseball fanatic wanted to play but didn’t know where to start.

“One day, I felt like I wanted to make a team for my country,” Chon said. “Korean people love baseball.”

Chon mined every Korean connection he had in order to start a team. Things started slowly, as fewer than 10 players came to practices. Even scheduling practices was challenging, owing to the unique circumstances of many local Korean families.

“I own a restaurant,” explained Chon, who operates Mooshiro Japanese Cuisine on Portage Avenue. “I start at 11 o’clock (in the morning) and work until 10 o’clock (at night). Many Korean people live this kind of life.

“I said, ‘What if we practice at 7 in the morning? Would you come?’,” Chon recalled. “Most people said yes.”

For more than a decade, the KBO All-Stars have practised every Sunday at 7 or 7:30 a.m. For the first few years, they only practiced, developing their skills. Then it was time to look for a league.

Chon assumed there would be many options, as in South Korea. In Winnipeg, the WSBL welcomed them warmly. Chon met Ken St. Germain, a well-known baseball figure who became general manager. St. Germain lined up regular exhibition games and booked Elmwood’s Koskie Field for home games under the lights, so everyone could play after work.

“Thankfully, the other teams accepted us,” Chon said. “I know it’s very hard for them. They have to work the day after from early morning.”

The challenges continued. Winnipeg’s senior baseball players have played the game for years, while for many KBO players, the All-Stars is their first team. The established teams have systems feeding players up the chain. Chon and the All-Stars were starting from scratch.

“Age-wise, many of our players were over 35,” said Chon, who is 38. “It was hard to compete.”

Early goals were modest; the KBO All-Stars hoped to win one game. Even that was elusive until the 2023 playoffs when they played in the Boomer Cup, a C-side event.

The All-Stars opened with a thrilling, 17-16 win over the South Winnipeg Longhorns.

“We were screaming a lot,” Chon said with a smile. “Everyone thought we won the cup; we were really happy.”

There was more revelry to come. Following a 14-5 loss, they rebounded with a 7-3 win to make the title game.

Despite never beating the St. Boniface Brewers before, the KBO All-Stars prevailed 13-11 to become Boomer Cup champions.

“Somehow, we won,” Chon said. “It was a miracle year for us.”

Chon said it game his pause to look back on the 16 years of work he’s devoted to the KBO All-Stars — the poorly attended practices; mastering one skill at a time before moving to the next one.

When he was young, Chon had no team. Now, young Korean ballplayers can play the game they love. He’s proud of that, as he is of everyone – from St. Germain to the Korean Society’s annual grant – to the All-Stars veterans. They shoulder most of the expenses, including post-game refreshments, so that younger players have no obstacles between them and the field.

“As a team, we don’t have many problems,” Chon said. “We always have fun together.”