(Yonhap Interview) 'It's pretty wild': how Mississippi high school rivals ended up in KBO

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, April 28 (Yonhap) -- They say it's a small world out there in professional baseball. And Kirk McCarty, first-year American pitcher for the SSG Landers in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), has seen firsthand just how small it can be.

When McCarty signed with the Landers last offseason, he found himself in the same league as his childhood friend, high school rival and minor league teammate, Anthony Alford.

That the two Mississippi natives ended up playing baseball against each other in South Korea, of all places, is "pretty wild," McCarty said.

"A lot of people back home are like, 'How wild is it that two guys who we grew up watching playing against each other are now on the other side of the world playing against each other in a league where there's only 30 foreign players?'" McCarty told Yonhap News Agency on Thursday, before the Landers faced the LG Twins at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. "We have had so many encounters on the field and then, we've gotten to know each other off the field in recent years."

McCarty said he and Alford grew up about 30 minutes from each other in Mississippi, and first met as teenagers playing travel baseball.

McCarty played baseball and football at Oak Grove High School and Alford did the same at Petal High School, which McCarty said was "our biggest rival."

"We had a ton of high school showdowns both on the football field and on the baseball field," recalled McCarty, a former high school quarterback. "Then he ended up at (the University of Southern Mississippi), which is where I went, but he was there a year before I got there. And then he transferred (to the University of Mississippi)."

The two crossed paths again in minor league baseball, as teammates on the Columbus Clippers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, in 2022. That was the first time they played together, McCarty noted.

It was during that year that Alford signed with the Wiz. He couldn't have known he would end up in the same country as McCarty less than a year later.

And as McCarty was contemplating signing with the Landers, he knew exactly whom to contact for advice.

"He probably got tired of me asking questions," McCarty quipped. "When SSG reached out, (Alford) was my first phone call. 'Hey, tell me about it. How was it for you? How did your family love it?' And they all had great things to say. He was a big advocate for coming over and really a big help in making that decision."

McCarty said he and his wife had been talking about playing overseas for a couple of years when the Landers came calling. Teams in the KBO are limited to three foreign players each, with no more than two pitchers. There are only 20 jobs available here for pitchers, and McCarty said when an opportunity to take one of those jobs came up, he was ready to "jump all over it."

Also facilitating the move was the fact that McCarty had not been enjoying the experience of bouncing between the majors and the minors, and getting designated for assignment.

And McCarty has settled in nicely after a rough regular season debut on April 2 against the Kia Tigers, who knocked him around to the tune of eight runs on 10 hits in just 3 1/3 innings.

McCarty said the fateful fourth inning against the Tigers, in which he gave up four runs on five hits and two walks, was both his "Welcome to the KBO" moment and a wakeup call.

"I think I've always respected these hitters. I watch our hitters and how they work, and respected the players," McCarty said. "Here they are, professional athletes at a very, very high level. They welcomed me, woke me up and put me in that mode where I reminded myself that you can't take anything for granted and you've got to work every day to do it just a little better."

Since that debacle, McCarty has not allowed an earned run in 20 innings.

And he hopes he can stay just as sharp when he faces Alford for the first time in the KBO. Alford has been one of the league's best hitters so far in 2023: He is second in the league with a .392 batting average and leads the way with a .622 slugging percentage and a 1.086 on-base plus slugging.

In this 10-team league where clubs play each other 16 times, McCarty will likely start against the Wiz at least once this year. And it could come as early as next week, with the Landers hosting the Wiz for a three-game set starting Tuesday.

McCarty is scheduled to start later Friday, and his next start could come next Thursday against the Wiz.

"He's swinging a really, really good bat right now, so we'll see. It'll be a fun matchup," McCarty said. "But I try not to think too far ahead."

McCarty said he and Alford aren't into trash talking. They engage in some friendly banter instead.

McCarty said he also checks and sees how Alford is playing each day. McCarty even reached out to his old teammate after Alford slid hard into the second base bag during a game against the Landers last week and was limited to designated-hitting duties for the next couple of games.

"I think he's doing fine now. It seems to be good," McCarty said. "I always check the box scores to see what's going on around the league, and every night, he seems to be doing something special."

As long as Alford doesn't do anything special against him down the road, McCarty will be happy.

jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)