Former Hanwha Eagles outfielder Mike Tuckman (33) is hitting for his hometown Chicago Cubs in the KBO. He is making up for the loss of his childhood team with impressive performances.
Turkman batted sixth in the lineup against the New York Mets at Wrigley Field on Friday (25 July) and went 2-for-4 with a home run and an RBI in the third inning to lead the Cubs to a 4-2 victory.
After leading off the second inning with a single to left off Mets Japanese right-hander Godai Senga, Turkman came through with a two-out, two-run single in the third with the score tied 2-2. He drove Senga’s two-seam, low 95.7 mph fastball into left field, scoring pinch-hitter Seiya Suzuki from second base for the game’s final run.
The Cubs placed starting centre fielder Cody Bellinger, who injured his left knee, on the 20-day disabled list and called up Tuckman from Triple-A Iowa. In five games since his call-up, Turkman has performed above expectations, going 11-for-24 with a .500 on-base percentage, .455 slugging percentage and .955 OPS with three doubles, one triple, three walks and one stolen base.스포츠토토
He started his first two games off the bench, but has been increasing his role in the last three games in a row. In his first start, he went 0-for-2 with a walk and two strikeouts against the Philadelphia Phillies on the 22nd, and then reached base multiple times with a double and a walk against the Mets on the 23rd. A two-hit game against the Mets on the 24th extended his multi-hit streak to three games. He hasn’t played many games yet, but it’s pretty impressive.
It’s especially impressive now that he’s playing for the Cubs. The Cubs are a hometown team for Tuckman, who hails from Palatine, a suburb northwest of Chicago. He played 257 games in five seasons with the Colorado Rockies, New York Yankees, and San Francisco Giants between 2017 and 2021, but never had the opportunity to play at Wrigley Field, the home of the Cubs.
According to the Daily Herald, a Chicago-area publication, Tuckman said, “The Cubs were the team my family rooted for. I went to Wrigley Field occasionally, but more after high school. I even went to minor league games when I was younger. It’s always special to come here,” he said, reminiscing about his childhood memories with his family.
Tuckman is no stranger to Korean fans, having spent a year with Hanwha in the KBO last year. In 144 games, starting all 166, he batted .575 (166-for-575) with 12 home runs, 43 RBI, 19 doubles, 64 walks, 104 strikeouts, a .366 on-base percentage, a .430 slugging percentage and a .796 OPS. He contributed well in defence and on the basepaths, but as a foreign hitter, his long ball power and decisiveness at the plate left something to be desired.
After the season, he negotiated a new contract with Hanwha, but differences broke down, and Tuckman returned to the United States and signed a minor league deal with the Cubs. He was disappointed to leave Korea after only one year, but he was determined and fulfilled his dream of playing for his hometown team, the Cubs. When Bellinger returns, he could be sent back down to the minors, but after two years away from the big leagues, he has shown that he can compete in the big leagues and continue his career.