*This content was translated by AI.
Former manager Baek Incheon, the only .400 hitter in Korean professional baseball, has finally become a star in the sky. He was 84 years old.
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) officially announced on the 15th that "former manager Baek Incheon passed away at 6:41 a.m. on the 15th. To honor his dedication to the development of Korean baseball, the KBO will hold a state funeral for him."
Former manager Baek had been suffering from chronic brain ischemia symptoms, which worsened the previous day (the 14th), causing cardiac arrest. However, during transport to the hospital, his breathing and pulse fortunately returned, and he was being monitored. But his condition deteriorated again within a day.
This is the second state funeral held by the KBO, following former KBO Acting President Lee Yong-il in September last year. The wake has been set up on the second floor of the traditional hall at Dankook University Hospital's funeral home in Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do (201 Manghyang-ro, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do), the late's hometown. The burial site remains undecided.
Former manager Baek left a significant mark on both Korean professional baseball and Japanese professional baseball (NPB). In NPB, he played from 1962 to 1981, recording a career batting average of .278 (6,579 at-bats, 1,831 hits), 209 home runs, 776 RBIs, 801 runs scored, and 212 stolen bases, with an on-base percentage of .316 and a slugging percentage of .430 across 1,969 games. In 1975, while playing for Taiheiyo Club Lions (now Seibu Lions), he won the batting title with a .319 average.
When Korean professional baseball launched in 1982, driven by his strong desire to play in his homeland, former manager Baek joined MBC Chungyong (now LG Twins) as both player and manager. In the league's inaugural year, he played in 71 games with a .412 batting average (250 at-bats, 103 hits), 19 home runs, 64 RBIs, 55 runs scored, and 11 stolen bases, achieving an on-base percentage of .497 and a slugging percentage of .740. He led the league in batting average, most hits, runs scored, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. Notably, his .400 batting average for that season remains the only such record in the KBO League as of 2026.
After finishing his playing career with Sammi Superstars, he was appointed manager of LG Twins in 1990, leading them to their first championship title. He later served as manager for Samsung Lions and Lotte Giants, continuing his dedication to Korean baseball.
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*This content was translated by AI.
