LAS VEGAS (AP) — Former pitcher Chan Ho Park became the first Korean to purchase a stake in a major league club, the second significant addition in the past week to the Athletics' ownership structure as they prepare to move to Las Vegas in 2028.
Park, the first Korean major league player who pitched 17 seasons (1994-2010), going 124-98, also will take on the title of senior adviser to owner John Fisher.
The investment group, Team61, announced Sunday night its investment will total $70 million, of which $55 million is committed with another $15 million if Major League Baseball approves the deal.
Actors Ken Jeong and Daniel Dae Kim also are part of the investment group.
“During my playing career, I introduced Korea to Major League Baseball and Major League Baseball to Korean fans, and I saw firsthand how even a small point of connection can create meaningful change,” Park said in a statement. “Korea is now a baseball powerhouse with outstanding fans and a strong player-development system.
"Through exchanges with Las Vegas, which is opening a new era in Major League Baseball, I hope more opportunities will be created for the next generation of players. We are grateful for this opportunity to collaborate with the Athletics to lift up Korean baseball to the next level.”
Fisher, in a statement, touted the international benefits to the club.
“South Korea is an exciting country for baseball, and we are thrilled to partner with Chan Ho Park and Team61 to support their continued future success,” Fisher said. “Just as he pioneered and broke ground for Korean and Asian baseball players in America, we believe that this partnership with Chan Ho to pioneer Korean ownership in baseball will have long and lasting positive impacts.”
Harbinger Sports Group, which includes former Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, announced Thursday that it bought a minority stake in the A's, though details were not released. But Harbinger said it has raised more than $460 million in less than six months.
The A's are building a $2 billion, 33,000-person domed stadium on the Las Vegas Strip. They are currently playing the second of three planned seasons in West Sacramento, California.
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FILE - Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Chan Ho Park speaks during a press conference at the Gocheok Sky Dome ahead of a game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres for the MLB World Tour Seoul Series in Seoul, South Korea, on March 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)
SEATTLE (AP) — A shooting killed two people and wounded five including a child on Sunday evening during a popular food festival near the Space Needle in Seattle, a city fire department spokesperson said.
The gunfire erupted around 6 p.m. in the waning hours of the Bite of Seattle, an annual festival that draws hundreds of food and retail vendors and performers. Police were investigating the shooting and urged people to avoid the area just northwest of downtown. Authorities did not immediately say if anyone was in custody.
Two people died at the scene, said Grace Nuñez, spokesperson for the Seattle Fire Department.
Five patients were transported to Harborview Medical Center, including a 56-year-old woman in serious condition, Nuñez said.
A 2-year-old boy, a 23-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman are in stable condition, while a 40-year-old woman had minor injuries, she said.
Hospital spokesperson Susan Gregg said the victims suffered injuries to the arm, abdomen or legs.
A large number of police and emergency crews responded and began evacuating the area around the sprawling Seattle Center events campus. Authorities have not said where exactly the shooting occurred at the event, which had outdoor and indoor areas.
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said he was receiving briefings and State Patrol SWAT officers were deployed to assist local police.
“My prayers are with the families of the victims, and the responders as they work to keep people safe,” Ferguson said in a statement.
Faith Adia Hunter said she and her friends had just gotten food from a crepe vendor when gunfire broke out. She realized a shooter was near them.
“We were right next to him when it started so we took off running,” Hunter said. “So we took off running too into the building with the crowd.”
She and others found shelter in the nearby Seattle Children’s Museum, Hunter said.
In the chaos of the shooting, many vendors bolted toward the exits, abandoning their food stands. Hours afterward, some milled outside the police tape, wondering when they would be allowed to return to collect their tents, food and cooking gear.
Roberto Ramirez, a vendor at the event, said he heard what sounded like firecrackers before people began yelling “shooter” and frantically running.
“Suddenly everything was empty,” he said. “People were freaked out.”
After the initial panic, new guests continued to arrive unaware of what had happened and were told by police to leave, he said.
Estan Wakonabo said he and his girlfriend were at the festival waiting in line for a photo booth when he was shoved from behind and he turned to see a rush of people fleeing.
“People were hiding, were pushing, people were falling on the ground, baby strollers were falling,” Wakonabo said, adding that was when he heard gunshots.
“Once I heard a ‘pop, pop, pop,’ that’s when I knew it was a shooter,” he said.
After he escorted his girlfriend to safety, he returned to the scene to make photos and saw multiple victims on the ground, Wakonabo said.
The annual festival started in 1982 and draws 350,000 attendees over “three days of food, drink, and community celebration,” according to its website.
Associated Press journalists Manuel Valdes and Lindsey Wasson in Seattle, Annika Wolters in Bangkok and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
An unidentified man is led into the scene by police after they responded to a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Seattle, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
A police officer stands at a closed off area after a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Seattle, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Police respond to a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Seattle, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Police respond to a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Seattle, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
A police officer responds after a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Seattle, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
