Sun Dong-yeol's first year in Japan was due to personal matters

‌During his first season, his mother passed away unexpectedly during spring camp, so he was simply in no state to focus on training or anything else.
From the following year, once he regained his form, Sun Dong-yeol was top-tier even in Japan.
Sun Dong-yeol returns home urgently due to his mother's passing—stays in Gwangju for over ten days | JoongAng Ilbo JoongAng Ilbo "I really wanted to show her my success in Japan..." Thick tears fell from the eyes of the "Mudeungsan Bomber" Sun Dong-yeol (33, Chunichi Dragons). Although he was so confident on the mound, in front of his mother's cold body, he was merely an ordinary son blaming himself for his filial impiety for not being there at her passing…