Son Ah-seop’s Historic Number Change: What Does His New 8 Jersey Mean for Doosan Bears?

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Son Ah-seop, 38, who was traded to the Doosan Bears, will wear a number other than his longtime No. 31 for the first time since his debut. Limited options at his new club played a role, but he also chose a new number to honor a close former Hanwha teammate, Noh Si-hwan.

Son was traded from Hanwha to Doosan on the morning of April 14. Doosan sent left-hander Lee Gyo-hoon and 150 million KRW (112,500 USD) to Hanwha in the deal.

Son had been at Hanwha’s second-team facility in Seosan, Chungnam, and went straight to Incheon after hearing the news. Once added to the first-team roster, Doosan slotted him in as the No. 2 designated hitter for the game against the SSG Landers.

Meeting reporters, Son said he learned about the trade on his way to the sauna—part of his daily routine. “This is my fourth team, and I get excited every time I move,” he said. “I kept thinking about how to show that Doosan made the right choice.”

At Doosan, Son will wear No. 8. He had worn No. 31 throughout his stints with the Lotte Giants, NC Dinos and Hanwha, so this marks the first time he’s changed numbers. With regular outfielder Jung Soo-bin already wearing 31 at Doosan, Son had to pick something else and went with 8.

“Options were limited, and since I’d always worn 31, I wanted something totally different,” he laughed. “They offered me 36, but I said no — I didn’t even want to go near the 3.”

He said the choice was partly about a fresh mindset, but it also carries personal meaning: No. 8 was worn by his close Hanwha teammate Noh Si-hwan.

“Among my teammates at Hanwha, he’s the one I’m most grateful to,” Son said. “When Noh called and said, ‘I wear it with you in mind,’ I was really happy. Noh told me No. 8 stands for the spirit of a roly-poly that doesn’t stay down, so I thought it was a great meaning.”

He added with a grin that he told Noh, “You’ve fallen a lot too, so let’s get up together,” which had reporters laughing.

Noh had struggled since the season opener and was sent down to the second team on April 13. Son, who had been with the second team earlier in the season, even helped Noh lay out parts of his training schedule.

“I had a dinner planned with Noh tonight. We’d already worked out his training plan, so I feel sorry and disappointed I couldn’t help him,” Son said.

He said he doesn’t doubt Noh’s talent. “There’s nothing to fix technically. He’s normally a positive guy, but lately he’s been down. Everyone hits rough patches in baseball, and Noh is a top third baseman — I’m not worried.”

Son acknowledged he faces higher expectations at his new club but vowed to answer them on the field. Doosan is known as “Hustle Doo,” and Son said hustle is his strongest asset. “Ultimately I have to play well, and off the field I need to be a leader for the younger players,” he said.

Back in a real game after a long layoff, Son admitted he’s curious to see how the pitchers look. “This will be my first true game since the exhibition season,” he said. “But there are no excuses. I have to beat the pitchers any way I can, and I’ll approach the game with the mindset of getting on base, even if it means taking a hit.”