Royals superfan SungWoo Lee to return for World Series
KANSAS CITY -- It appears that the return of Korean superfan SungWoo Lee is official.
The Seoul native who won the hearts of Kansas Citians this summer will make it to Game 1 of the World Series, according to Sam Kim, a political reporter for Bloomberg News in Korea.
Kim tweeted Friday, "Everett @ETeaparty25 you better prepare those 4 tickets for Sungwoo's bosses 'cause he's going to Kansas City #BringBackSungWoo"
Everett @ETeaparty25 you better prepare those 4 tickets for Sungwoo's bosses 'cause he's going to Kansas City #BringBackSungWoo
- Sam Kim 김혜성 (@ghimhehsuhng) October 17, 2014Lee's return to America had been rumored since the moment Eric Hosmer caught the final out of the American League Championship Series. The only hiccup, now apparently resolved, was whether his employer in South Korea would let him take the time off.
Lee made his first trip to Kansas City in August to see his beloved Royals for the first time, a team he's rooted for since 1995. He spent 10 days touring the Midwest, but featured most prominently in K.C.
The first Royals game he attended was against the Giants, Kansas City's opponent in the World Series, which begins on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET air time/8:07 first pitch, FOX) at The K.
When they were down, 7-3, in the AL Wild Card Game, Lee stayed relentlessly positive, even though the time difference meant he was watching at 9 a.m. on a workday. When they made their astonishing comeback, Lee told MLB.com's Alex Robinson that he had a realization: "After the Royals made that still unbelievable comeback victory in the Wild Card, now I believe I may have that kind of 'magic' in me, indeed."
Toward the end of his time abroad, Lee made it to a Royals-Athletics game on Aug. 11, in which his team moved ahead of the Tigers in the AL Central. Lee celebrated by hoisting the "W" sign in center field, much to the delight of the crowd.
Lee's original trip included a visit to Kansas City's Double-A affiliate, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.