LOS ANGELES -- Before the players otherwise known as the "Grandson of the Wind" and the "Comet" took the Majors by storm, they were two of the biggest stars in Korean baseball.
This weekend, the Giants' Jung Hoo Lee and the Dodgers' Hyeseong Kim are set to face each other in a Major League game for the first time. And the three-game set at Dodger Stadium is about as high-stakes as it gets for June, with Kim's Dodgers a mere game ahead of Lee's Giants for first place in the über-competitive NL West.
It means a little something more to Lee and Kim, who count each other as close friends. Their journeys in professional baseball began together in their home country before diverging when they were posted for Major League teams in consecutive years.
"We go way far back," Lee said through interpreter Justin Han. "I love Hyeseong. We have a really good relationship."
Both played for the South Korean national baseball team, starting before they went pro. They were drafted in the same year, by the same team, and spent seven seasons together with the KBO League's Kiwoom Heroes.
Lee and Kim have a deep shared history in baseball, but this weekend should bring a first for them -- and not just in the Major Leagues.
Kim remembers playing against Lee in practice games back when the two were in high school. They also were on opposing sides during a Cactus League game earlier this year. But as far as he can remember, this weekend should mark the first time they face each other in a meaningful game.
"It's a very cool thing, a fun thing, to meet him as a competitor," Kim said recently through interpreter Joe Lee. "It will be a very new feeling when I face him as an opponent."
Not only that, but they're on opposite sides of one of Major League Baseball's classic rivalries.
"It's a bit different because we've been always wearing the same jersey," Lee said. "But now it's a different color jersey, but [on the same] field -- but excited at the same time."
Lee was the first to make the jump to the big leagues, signing a six-year, $113 million deal with the Giants ahead of the 2024 season -- which ended for him after just 37 games when he sustained a season-ending shoulder injury. But he's flashed his superstar potential in his sophomore season with San Francisco, even after cooling down following a hot start at the plate.
Kim, who joined the Dodgers on a three-year, $12.5 million contract this past offseason, started his first stateside season in the Minor Leagues. He was tasked with continuing to work on his swing, and since earning his first call to the Majors in early May, he has thrived in a platoon role for Los Angeles.
Even with their busy schedules, Lee and Kim keep in touch often. Earlier in the year, Kim named Lee as one of the people he asked for advice on making a seamless transition to life in the big leagues. Both have plenty of support on their respective teams -- and even some common allies in that regard -- but there's some added comfort in having someone closer to home in a new situation.
"We talked more about the off-field stuff," Lee said, "because on-field stuff -- I mean, I was injured for a long time last season, so there really wasn't much for me to say to Hyeseong. But just getting on the planes, food-wise, just the culture differences that we have here."
Although what happens on the field this weekend at Dodger Stadium will have an impact in the divisional standings -- with several months left to play -- Kim made it clear that he's not looking to win bragging rights over his friend. He wants his Dodgers to come out on top, but between himself and Lee, it's just friendly competition.
After all, it's meaningful that they've made it this far together.
"It's going to be very special," Kim said. "We were drafted together, we've played together, but now we're facing each other in the big leagues. It's special that we're in the same division. It's going to be very exciting."
And if both of their stars continue to rise, future Giants-Dodgers matchups will be that much more entertaining going forward.