Kerry Maher, Lotte Giants fan and KBO advocate, dies at 68

Kerry Maher

Kerry Maher, the Lotte Giants superfan known as Sajik Grandfather, died Tuesday at 68 years old.

Maher’s close friend Kim Joong-hee announced Tuesday that Maher had passed away in hospital in Busan at 3:14 p.m. that afternoon. He had earlier been hospitalized due to complications related to Covid-19.

Maher moved to Korea in 2008 to work as an elementary school teacher, before moving to Youngsan University in 2011. While teaching at the university he attended a Lotte Giants game at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan and fell in love with the team, quickly becoming a regular fixture in the home stand.

Maher’s commitment to the team quickly starting gaining attention, especially after he broke his leg and continued to attend games in a wheelchair. His distinctive white beard earned him a string of nicknames, including Santa Grandfather and KFC Grandfather.

Over the years Maher became such a recognizable fixture at Sajik that fans would line up to take pictures with him, with ESPN reporting in 2020 that he could be approached more than 200 times each game.

The Giants invited him to throw the opening pitch on two occasions, and in 2019 when he retired from teaching they added him to the payroll in an official position to help foreign players acclimatize to life in Korea.

But while his loyalty to the Giants endeared him to fans in Busan, his pervasive love of baseball and support for the KBO as a whole made him a well-known figure across the baseball world.

"I've always said that MLB is like opera," Maher told ESPN in 2020. "KBO is like rock-and-roll."

As of press time Wednesday, the Giants planned to play tribute to Maher at a home game that evening against the Doosan Bears.

A mourning alter for Maher has been set up at Asiad Funeral Hall in Busan, with the funeral to be held on Saturday.

BY JIM BULLEY AND KIM HYO-KYUNG [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]