"The most respected and appreciated Coach Baek Incheon": Lee Seung-yeop's heartfelt tribute, wishing his mentor "May you no longer be in pain and live happily"

*This content was translated by AI.

"Coach, thank you so much. And I respected you greatly. Please rest in peace."

Lee Seung-yeop (50), a coach for the Yomiuri Giants, expressed his deep affection and gratitude toward former coach Baek Incheon, who has passed away.

Coach Lee Seung-yeop shared on his social networking service (SNS) on the 15th: "The Coach Baek Incheon whom I most respected and was most grateful to has now left this world. Coach, may you no longer suffer from pain and may you live peacefully and happily in heaven."

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) officially announced on the 15th that "Former coach Baek Incheon passed away at 6:41 a.m. today. To honor his dedication to the development of Korean baseball, we have decided to hold his funeral at KBO headquarters." He was 84 years old.

Former coach Baek had been suffering from worsening symptoms of a chronic brain condition and suffered cardiac arrest the previous day (the 14th). Fortunately, his breathing and pulse returned during transport to the hospital, and he was being monitored; however, his condition deteriorated again within a day, leading to his passing today.

Former coach Baek is an indispensable figure when discussing the history of Korean baseball. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) 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. In 1975, while playing for Taiheiyo Club Lions (now Seibu Lions), he led the league in batting average with .319.

In 1982, the inaugural year of the KBO League, he joined MBC Chungyong (now LG Twins) as both a player and manager. In 71 games, he recorded a batting average of .412 (250 at-bats, 103 hits), 19 home runs, 64 RBIs, 55 runs scored, and 11 stolen bases, with an on-base percentage of .497 and a slugging percentage of .740. He swept the top spot in batting average, most hits, runs scored, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage, achieving a batting quintuple crown. A season batting average of .400 is a unique record in the over-40-year history of the KBO.

The connection between Coach Lee Seung-yeop and former coach Baek began during their coaching careers after Lee finished his playing days with Sammi Superstars. In 1990, he was appointed manager of LG Twins, leading them to their first championship in the club's history. From 1996 for two years, he served as the head coach of the Samsung Lions.

Lee Seung-yeop joined Samsung in 1995 and immediately became a regular player, hitting .300 the following year. In 1997, he hit 32 home runs to become the home run champion. He later played in both the KBO League and NPB, accumulating a career total of 626 home runs.

It was Coach Baek Incheon who made "Home Run King" Lee Seung-yeop. The coach said, "I heard the news of the coach's passing today. The coach and I share a truly special bond," introducing his unique connection with Coach Baek Incheon.

Meeting Coach Baek in his second professional year, Lee Seung-yeop recalled: "He told me, 'You can become Korea's best player. And you must also advance to Japanese professional baseball.' While I focused on setting realistic goals and achieving them one by one, the coach was a precious person who allowed me to dream bigger and aim higher."

When Lee expressed his desire to become a home run hitter, Coach Baek guided him on what needed improvement. This involved rigorous training, new practice methods unlike before, and sometimes stern reprimands. The coach said, "I was innocent and lacking, but I grew stronger little by little under the coach's guidance. Through that, I was able to grow into a true professional baseball player." He continued, "As a result, I became the home run hitter I dreamed of and grew into a player capable of hitting many home runs. The person who made me who I am today and guided me to become the player I dreamed of was the coach."

This is why he could not hide his deep affection. The coach added, "I sincerely thank you for planting big dreams in my baseball life and guiding me to achieve them. I will never forget what I learned from the coach or the confidence the coach instilled in me," and concluded with, "We respectfully pray for the repose of the deceased."

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*This content was translated by AI.