Seoul: Playing on a temporary deal in South Korea, Stone Garrett of the Kiwoom Heroes knows he can’t control his own future here. But what he can control is how hard he can keep working, and that’s where his focus will remain as his time in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) is winding down. Garrett knocked in the go-ahead run with his two-out single in the top of the ninth inning, as the Heroes defeated the LG Twins 4-3 at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Thursday. The victory snapped the Heroes’ seven-game losing skid as they wrapped up the first half of the season.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Garrett signed on as a temporary injury replacement for Ruben Cardenas on June 5. Starting in 2024, the KBO began allowing clubs to sign foreign players to short-term contracts to fill in for those sidelined for at least six weeks. Cardenas, who went down with arm problems, played in his first minor league rehab game earlier Thursday, and is expected to be back soon after the season resumes next Thursday following the All-Star break. At most, Garrett has four games left in the KBO.
Teams may choose to keep the replacement player and cut ties with the original player, though Garrett hasn’t played well enough to justify that switch for the Heroes. The impending end of the deal comes just as Garrett is finding his groove. He batted only .184 in 13 games in June, but is batting .294 through eight games in July. He has hit safely in seven of those games and has three multihit games, too.
Asked about the timing of his potential departure, Garrett shrugged and said, “I can’t control that. I can’t control how much time I have left.” “All I can control is keep putting in the work and trying to help the team win for the time I am here,” the American outfielder/designated hitter added. “I don’t know what the team wants to do. I think I have four games left after the short break, so I’m just going to compete and then we can go from there.”
Even though he has only been around for 21 games, Garrett said he has enjoyed every minute of his time in the KBO. “I love it. The guys here on this team are great. It’s a good mix of older guys and younger guys,” he said. “I love being here every single day, showing up to the field, playing with these guys. I love the people here in Korea. I love the city, the food, the respect that people show to foreigners. It’s been great.”
The 29-year-old former major leaguer said he is also taking away some important lessons from South Korea. “All the guys here are focused on being relaxed when you play baseball and that’s something I appreciate,” he said. “When I’ve played in the past, a lot of guys are too uptight and they struggle because they’re too uptight. But the guys here are serious, they’re very fundamental, but they want you to relax as well.”