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Royal Salute: Korean fan throws out first pitch

August 12, 2014
Longtime Kansas City Royals fan Sung Woo Lee, from South Korea, throws the ceremonial first pitch before a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics, Monday, Aug. 11, 2014, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Longtime Kansas City Royals fan Sung Woo Lee, from South Korea, throws the ceremonial first pitch before a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics, Monday, Aug. 11, 2014, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

By Lee Kyutae

The Kansas City Royals fan from South Korea, Sung Woo Lee, has to be one of the best sports stories of the year. He has become such a folk hero in Kansas City that they may not want him to go back.

Not only did he get to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Monday’s game against the Oakland A’s at Kaufman Stadium, the team that has not been to the playoffs since 1985, hasn’t lost since Lee’s arrival and now sits atop of their division standings.

That hasn’t happened this late in the season since 2003.

Being loyal to a perennial underdog has paid off big time for Lee. He has become a social media sensation, as his Twitter following at @Koreanfan_KC has gone over 12,500, and even ESPN’s “SportsCenter” recently aired his story.

They even named a hot dog after him.