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Park Chan-ho, Hideo Nomo receive Pioneers of Baseball award

January 21, 2015
Park Chan-ho, right, poses with former Dodgers owner and president Peter O'Malley at the

Park Chan-ho, right, poses with former Dodgers owner and president Peter O’Malley at the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation dinner Saturday.

South Korean baseball legend Park Chan-ho received a Pioneer Award Saturday from Major Baseball League Commissioner Bud Selig.

The award, given by the annual Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation and held at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza hotel, honored Park and fellow former Dodgers pitcher Hideo Nomo.

The dinner drew a crowd of more than 1,000.

Selig said Park and Nomo opened doors for other Korean and Japanese players looking to play in major league baseball.

Park was the first-ever Korean player to sign with the MLB in 1994 with a Dodgers contract. He went on to play a total of 17 seasons with the Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, the New York Mets and Yankees, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Pittsburgh Pirates before leaving the field.

The event also celebrated Selig, who faces retirement after 23 years on the job.