Dae-Sung Koo

Dae-sung Koo is a Major League Baseball pitcher who was born on August 2, 1969 in Seoul, Korea.

Koo is a left-handed pitcher despite being born right-handed. As a child, he suffered an injury which forced him to become left-handed. Koo attended Hanyang University where he was a teammate of Chan Ho Park. Koo played for the South Korean national Olympic team in both the 1992 and 2000 games. He led his team to a bronze medal in 2000 by pitching a 3–1 complete game victory over Japan.

Koo began his professional career in 1993 with the Hanwha Eagles of the Korean Baseball Organization. In 1996, he won both a Gold Glove Award and the MVP of the KBO with a 1.88 ERA, 18 wins, 24 saves and 183 strikeouts in 139 innings pitched.

In 2001, Koo joined the Orix BlueWave of the Japanese Pacific League. A reliever throughout his professional career, he became a starting pitcher with Orix in 2002.

In 2005, the New York Mets signed Koo as a free agent. He pitched well as a reliever during spring training and was selected for the Mets' active roster as the season began. Despite his age, 35, and 12 years experience in Korea and Japan, he is considered a rookie by Major League Baseball.

Koo is married with two children and resides in Seoul.