Phillies Former Pitcher Sean O’Sullivan Signs Abroad

The former Phillies righty will be taking his versatile arm overseas

Former Phillies pitcher Sean O’Sullivan will be pitching in South Korea this upcoming season after being unable to find a home in the Major Leagues. He will join the Korea Baseball Organization’s Nexen Heroes on a one-year contract worth $1.1 million.

Prior to joining the Phillies, O’Sullivan pitched for the Angels, Padres, and Royals.

O’Sullivan was originally signed by the Phillies as a free agent prior to the 2014 season, and made multiple spot-starts around injuries.

O’Sullivan pitched for the Phillies from 2014 through the 2015 season in both the starting rotation and the bullpen. He often bounced between Philadelphia and their Triple-A affiliate in Lehigh Valley, where he started 34 games between his two seasons in the organization.

In 16 games with Philadelphia, O’Sullivan had a 1-7 record with a 6.13 ERA through just over 83 innings. His lone win came in 2015 after pitching six shutout innings at home against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

After not returning to Philadelphia last year, O’Sullivan joined the Red Sox organization and started four games for Boston.

Here is a rough translation of O’Sullivan’s statement regarding his new journey overseas, where he will live in Seoul.

"Thank you to the team for giving me the opportunity. I’ve heard that Seoul wonderful place to live. It seems to be an interesting season."

Last season five Americans played for the Nexen Heroes, none of which have played above the AAA level for an MLB organization.

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The Heroes were established in 2008, and have made the playoffs in four straight seasons. They have produced Major League players such as Twins designated hitter Byung Ho Park and Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang.