An 18-year-old Korean player made a surprise debut in a Major League Baseball exhibition game. The player was Pittsburgh Pirates minor league infielder Lee Hyun-seung (18).
On the 23rd (Korea time), Lee Hyun-seung entered as a defensive substitute at third base in the top of the eighth inning of a 2026 major league exhibition game against the Boston Red Sox at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Florida, and drew a walk in his first plate appearance in the bottom of the ninth.
Although he was a minor leaguer who was not invited to major league spring training, Lee Hyun-seung made a surprise appearance in the late stages of the game. He played third base for two innings in the eighth and ninth, but with no balls hit his way, Lee showed his presence in the bottom of the ninth at the plate.
With Pittsburgh trailing 3-6 in the bottom of the ninth and two outs with no runners on, Lee faced Boston right-hander Zack Kelly. Kelly, who has appeared in 98 major league games over four seasons (three starts, 115 innings) with an 8-6 record, 12 holds, a 4.15 ERA and 113 strikeouts, pitched to Lee, who did not charge in recklessly and after a full-count battle drew a walk.
At a 1-3 ball count, Kelly's fifth pitch was a low outside cutter that Lee held off, but the plate umpire called it a strike, making it a full count. However, he then drew a four-seam fastball that missed outside and walked to first base. It was his first official major league game and he reached base in his first plate appearance with a walk, displaying his plate discipline.
Pittsburgh's broadcast team said, "An 18-year-old player from Seoul, Korea, he played last year in the Dominican summer league. He had more walks than strikeouts in the summer league, and he drew a walk here as well." In last year's Dominican summer league, Lee recorded 38 walks and 32 strikeouts, and he showed the plate discipline that is his strength in that plate appearance. He then advanced to second on a defensive indifference steal, but with no follow-up hit, Lee was left on base.
Born in February 2008 and just turned 18, Lee Hyun-seung is a right-handed thrower, left-handed batter infielder standing 185 cm and weighing 79 kg. His primary position is shortstop, and he came from club team Eunpyeong BC rather than a formal school baseball team. In 2023, as a third-year middle school student he drew enough attention to receive a major league identity check, showing tremendous potential, and he decided at a young age to challenge himself in the United States.
For his dream, he took a different path than most players. Because high school players cannot sign with major league clubs while enrolled, he gave up attending high school after graduating middle school. He passed the high school equivalency exam while playing baseball, and after turning 16, when he was eligible for an international amateur contract, he signed with Pittsburgh for a $160,000 signing bonus.
The U.S. prospect evaluation outlet Baseball America (BA) introduced Lee Hyun-seung as "having fast bat speed, a strong arm, and expected power."
Last year in the Dominican summer league, playing for the Pirates Black, he appeared in 45 games, hitting .241 (133 at-bats, 32 hits) with 2 home runs, 22 RBIs, 32 runs, 17 stolen bases, a .423 on-base percentage, a .353 slugging percentage and a .776 OPS. He played third base and shortstop on defense.
Pittsburgh has been a team that several Korean players have passed through. Pitcher Park Chan-ho, the first Korean major leaguer, finished his major league career with the team in 2010, and later infielders Kang Jung-ho, Park Hyo-jun, Bae Ji-hwan and Choi Ji-man wore Pittsburgh uniforms and played in the major leagues. Pitcher Shim Jun-seok also briefly played in the minors.
The biggest success among them was Kang Jung-ho, who was acquired from the KBO through posting. He exploded for 36 home runs as the regular third baseman in 2015–2016, leaving a strong impact. With a similar position to Kang and expected to have power tools, attention is on whether Lee Hyun-seung can become another Pittsburgh success story.
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