▲ Former Yomiuri Giants hitting coach Lee Seung-yeop
Former Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop, 50, has ended his stint with Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball team, the Yomiuri Giants, after just one season.
Posting on his social media account on the 14th, Lee announced his departure, saying, "I sincerely thank all the fans who unwaveringly supported Yomiuri this year," and adding, "I will be leaving the team at the end of this season."
Lee expressed gratitude to former manager Shinnosuke Abe for giving him the opportunity to wear the Yomiuri uniform once again and guide the players, reflecting on his single season by noting how moving it was to reunite as a coach with former teammates he once shared the field with.
Lee, who swept an era as South Korea's representative "national hitter," took the helm of the professional baseball team Doosan Bears in 2023 for his managerial debut, but stepped down midway through in June 2025 to take responsibility for the team's performance, failing to complete his contract term.
Having played as Yomiuri's cleanup hitter during his active playing days, Lee coached younger players this year as the first-team hitting coach for Yomiuri at the request of former manager Abe, with whom he shared a special friendship.
Yomiuri advanced to the postseason as the runner-up in the Central League regular season, but wrapped up its season early after losing to the third-place Yokohama DeNA BayStars in the Climax Series First Stage.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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