"Even with a body battered to pieces, he became the Japanese batting champion." Japan also shocked by the passing of Baek Incheon; his ability as a coach who nurtured Lee Seung-yeop is highlighted

*This content was translated by AI.

Former manager Baek Incheon, who left a significant mark in both Korean and Japanese professional baseball, has passed away. Japan also reported the news and highlighted his career while he was alive.

On the 15th, the Japanese media outlet Sports Hochi, citing Korean news outlets, reported that "Baek Incheon (Hakujinten), who became batting champion in both Korea and Japan, has died."

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) officially announced on the 15th that "Former manager Baek Incheon passed away at 6:41 a.m. today. To honor his contributions to the development of Korean baseball, a KBO-led funeral will be held." He was 84 years old.

The former manager had been suffering from worsening symptoms of cerebral infarction, a chronic condition he had long battled. The day before (the 14th), he suffered cardiac arrest but fortunately regained breathing and pulse while being transported to the hospital, where his condition was being monitored. However, his condition deteriorated again within a day, leading to his passing on this day.

Sports Hochi also cited domestic media reports stating that former manager Baek Incheon had been receiving treatment for cerebral hemorrhage at Cheonan Hospital and had been in critical condition since the previous day.

The former manager left significant marks in both the KBO League and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). In NPB, he played from 1962 to 1981, recording a career batting average of 0.278 (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 0.316 and a slugging percentage of 0.430. In 1975, while playing for Taiheiyo Club Lions (now Seibu Lions), he led the league in batting average with .319 to win the batting title.

In 1982, the inaugural year of the KBO League, he joined MBC Chungyong (now LG Twins) as a player-manager. In 71 games, he recorded a batting average of 0.412 (250 at-bats, 103 hits), 19 home runs, 64 RBIs, 55 runs scored, and 11 stolen bases, with an on-base percentage of 0.497 and a slugging percentage of 0.740. He swept the top spot in batting average, most hits, runs scored, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage, becoming the five-time batting champion. A .400 batting average for a season remains a unique record in over 40 years of KBO history.

After finishing his playing career with Sammi Superstars, he was appointed as the LG Twins manager in 1990, leading them to their first championship title. He later served as manager for Samsung Lions and Lotte Giants.

The media provided a detailed introduction of former manager Baek Incheon's career while alive: "Mr. Baek Incheon played in Korean amateur baseball before joining Toei-Nittaku Home Flyers (now Nippon-Ham Fighters) as a catcher in 1962, and switched to outfielder in his third year." It further stated, "In 1975, he moved to Taiyongyang, won the batting title and was selected for the Best Nine team. After playing for Lotte and Kintetsu, he joined the newly established Korean professional baseball league in 1982 as a player-manager, leading the inaugural batting championship with a .412 average."

It also explained: "Forming a cleanup trio with Osugi Katsumi and Harimoto Isao at Toei, he managed to fill exactly the required number of plate appearances with a .319 batting average in 1975 despite being battered by injuries including sprains, muscle tears, and a broken left ring finger." It added, "In his third year after joining Lotte in 1979, at age 36, he still achieved a .340 batting average to rank third in the league. In four All-Star Game appearances, he recorded 11 hits in 21 at-bats, resulting in a career All-Star batting average of 0.524."

Regarding his talents as a coach, it stated: "After retirement, he served as manager for multiple teams in Korea and led LG to a championship in 1990." It further noted, "At Samsung, he was known for his keen eye in recognizing talent, having encouraged Lee Seung-yeop (now batting coach at Yomiuri Giants), who joined as a pitcher, to switch to a position player and laying the foundation for his power-hitting ability."

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*This content was translated by AI.