M's pitcher Baek has endured a lot to pursue a dream

It was hard enough for Cha Seung Baek after signing with the Mariners straight out of Pusan High School in South Korea — shuttling around small-town America, learning how to navigate minor-league baseball, absorbing a brand-new culture.

He had a translator at his side, but he was just a teenager. He got nervous about speaking to his teammates, shopping and ordering food.

Then came devastating news in 2001 in San Bernardino, Calif. His right elbow — the one that made him one of the best prep pitchers in Korea, the one on which he'd pinned a lifelong dream — would require a new ligament.

He was a stranger in a strange land. He was 21 years old. He was worried.

"At that point, I was in Single-A, I was in rehab and I didn't know if I was ever going to return to the mound," Baek recalls, speaking in Korean. "For almost two years, I didn't pitch. I got homesick. But I had to put that aside because I had a goal. I had a dream."

Baek tells his story Wednesday in the Mariners' clubhouse, entrenched in a big-league rotation for the first time in his life. He has the support of manager Mike Hargrove, a 3-2 record and a 4.91 earned-run average in nine starts, including a complete-game win May 9 at Detroit.

That he has made it this far is a testament to patience and hard work.

Consider that lonely recovery from Tommy John surgery, the six other trips to the disabled list, the nine-year cultural transition, the whiplash from being slung like a yo-yo between Seattle and Class AAA Tacoma the past three seasons.

"When I signed, I didn't plan on returning to Korea," Baek says. "My dream was to play here [in the United States] and grab a spot here. So I had to do it. I could not forget my dream and go back to Korea."

Baek is 27 years old now, a solid 6 feet 4, 220 pounds. His parents still live in Pusan, where his father is in sales and his mother is a homemaker. Baek has a brother, Yong-Yuk, 25.

His family has never seen Baek pitch in the United States, though Baek is trying to arrange a trip to Seattle this summer. He has returned to Korea just twice, each of the past two offseasons.

Baek, who likes to golf and fish in his free time, lives in Olympia with the family of his Korean agent's older brother.

Growing up in Pusan, Baek played on the same high-school team as former Mariner Shin-Soo Choo, who was traded last year to Cleveland. The two were also teammates in the minors, figuring out baseball and life together. They still talk frequently.

In Korea, Baek read baseball magazines and picked up tidbits about major-league greats like Nolan Ryan. Then Chan Ho Park debuted with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1994, becoming the first Korean-born pitcher in the majors.

"He sparked the dream for me," Baek says. "I was 13 or 14 years old, and seeing Chan Ho Park, he became my idol. From that time, the whole country knew more about major-league baseball because the TV stations broadcast all his games.

"We finally knew what the major leagues was; who the athletes were, who was good, who the teams were. Until then, we only knew about the Korean leagues, and maybe the Japanese leagues."

Baek made his professional debut with Seattle in August 2004, one shutout inning at Tampa Bay. He was excited and anxious. The clubhouse was still stocked with superstars in their sunset — glory-days reminders like Edgar Martinez, Bret Boone and Dan Wilson.

"When I first got here, there were lots of veterans on the team," Baek says. "I just had to sit there quietly. Now I can move and talk more freely. Now, as I get more comfortable, I get more comfortable on the mound."

Baek understands the language and culture better. He cites another difference-maker: better command of his slider this season, especially inside against left-handed batters.

Mariners pitching coach Rafael Chaves says Baek has great command and throws all four pitches — fastball, changeup, curveball and slider — for strikes.

"He's absolutely more mature," Chaves says. "He's not afraid to do anything on the mound."

Seattle left-hander Eric O'Flaherty met Baek in 2004 in Arizona, when both were rehabbing ailments. He remembers seeing Baek throw for the first time last year, after O'Flaherty was promoted to Tacoma. Now they are throwing partners.

"I saw him in the bullpen, and I was like, 'Does this guy ever miss?' " O'Flaherty says.

For all his endorsements, Baek's situation remains tenuous. After being called up from Tacoma in April, Baek has solidified the rotation. But Horacio Ramirez could come off the disabled list soon, and if Jeff Weaver can salvage his season, that would give the Mariners six starters. One too many — again.

Baek pitched well last season in Seattle, going 4-1 with a 3.67 ERA in a late-season starting-spot audition. But he was disappointed when, during the offseason, the club traded for Ramirez and signed Weaver and Miguel Batista, and Baek was banished to Tacoma.

Baek understands business decisions must be made. He realizes all he can do is pitch his best. And he realizes, perhaps more impatiently this time, that all he can do is wait and continue to dream.

Michael Ko: 206-515-5653 or mko@seattletimes.com. The interview with Baek was conducted in Korean.