MLB's title tilt is full of magic and mojo, and it hasn't even started yet, but SungWoo Lee may already be the World Series' most popular man.
Lee's not a player for the Royals or Giants though. He's a fan -- a die-hard fan from South Korea who is making an epic journey to see the team he loves on baseball's biggest stage.
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Lee's been a Royals fan for years, despite never having been to Kansas City before this summer. When he visited in August, he was celebrated by hometown Royals fans, written up in the New York Times and threw out the ceremonial first pitch before a game against the Oakland A's.
Now, with his beloved Royals in the World Series for the first time since 1985, he's traveling from his homeland to Kansas City again.
By all appearances, Lee couldn't be happier -- or more beloved by Royals fans. Before leaving for Kansas City, Lee sent this photo of himself decked out in Royals gear to his 21,000 Twitter followers.
Shout out @Royals in the middle of Seoul!!! Tomorrow I leave Korea early morning... Please wait for me Kansas City pic.twitter.com/RxjnNuR3mJ— SungWoo Lee (@Koreanfan_KC) October 20, 2014
Making it back to Kansas City was no sure thing, however. From the Wall Street Journal on Monday:
While Mr. Lee technically had the vacation days at his disposal but he had just switched jobs about a month ago, it’s crunch time at his new employer Shinsegae Duty Free, the Korean retailer, which is in the midst of preparing a bid for a new duty-free operation at Incheon International Airport.
Also, as Mr. Lee explained in a phone interview, “at a Korean company, you just don’t do things like this.”
This time, however, Lee won't be making the trip to Kansas City alone. Two Korean TV stations and an American documentary crew are now following his journey, according to the Journal, although Lee himself seems a bit self-conscious about becoming a burden to the team.
“Baseball is a superstitious sport, and I worry about a jinx,” he told the paper.
Lee had been known to many Royals fans online for years. He'd get up in the middle of the night, Seoul-time, to watch Royals games while posting about them on Twitter. When he visited in August for five games, fans lined up to take photos with him and even gave him homemade gifts including cookies and flags, the Kansas City Star reported at the time.
He also shared a hug with Royals pitcher Danny Duffy.
This go-round, Lee's message for Kansas City is simple.
Are you ready Kansas City?? @Royals Super fan, SungWoo bring it all good luck & my own gear to KC! Thanks #MLBKoreapic.twitter.com/08fuKXjtFd— SungWoo Lee (@Koreanfan_KC) October 20, 2014
When Game 1 of the World Series gets started Tuesday night in Kansas City, more than 37,000 fans will pack the stands at Kauffman Stadium. But only one of them will have the heartwarming backstory -- or the following -- of SungWoo Lee.