Former Pro Baseball Manager Baek In-cheon, Legend of 0.400 Batting Average, Passes Away at 83 Due to Worsening Cerebral Infarction

Baek In-cheon, the former manager and the Korea Professional Baseball's only 400-hitter, passed away at the age of 83 at 6:30 a.m. today (August 14) due to a worsening cerebral infarction.

According to the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) and acquaintances of the late former manager, he was rushed to a hospital near his residence in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, via ambulance in a state of cardiac arrest this morning, but ultimately passed away.

Having collapsed four times from cerebral infarction, the former manager had fought off the illness with indomitable grit and even underwent a routine medical checkup in relatively good condition just the day before, but suddenly passed away.

The KBO has decided to hold his funeral as an official KBO funeral.

His wake is scheduled to be set up at Dankook University Hospital in Cheonan, and funeral arrangements, including the funeral procession, will be finalized once his younger brother residing in the United States returns to South Korea.

Born in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, China, in 1942, the late former manager fled south during the Korean War and learned baseball at Kyungdong Middle School and Kyungdong High School.

He reportedly had strong lower body strength from also competing as a speed skater and possessed outstanding batting skills.

Playing as a catcher, he joined the commercial baseball team National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (Nonghyup) in 1961, and in 1962, he entered Japan Professional Baseball (JPB) as a free agent with the Toei Flyers, the predecessor of the current Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.

He subsequently played in Japan until 1981, passing through the Taiheiyo Club Lions (now the Saitama Seibu Lions), Lotte Orions (now the Chiba Lotte Marines), and Kintetsu Buffaloes.

In 1975, during his time with Taiheiyo, he recorded a .319 batting average to win the Pacific League batting title.

Returning to South Korea as the manager and player for the MBC Blue Dragons in 1982 with the launch of professional baseball, the former manager recorded a .412 batting average that year, remaining the only 400-hitter in South Korean professional baseball history.

Playing two more seasons with the Sammi Superstars from 1983 to 1984, the former manager retired after a 23-year professional active playing career in Korea and Japan.

Embarking on a coaching career starting as a batting instructor for the Cheongbo Pintos in 1985, the late former manager took the helm as the inaugural manager of the LG Twins, who acquired and re-founded the MBC Blue Dragons in 1990. Advocating "Spirit Baseball," he won the Korean Series and spent his finest days.

The former manager led three teams including LG (1990–1991), the Samsung Lions (1996–1997), and the Lotte Giants (2002–2003), and coached players as a batting instructor for Samsung, the Hanwha Eagles, and the SK Wyverns (now the SSG Landers).

In 1997, during his tenure as Samsung manager, he also engaged in a disputed bat controversy with then-LG manager Chun Bo-sung, who raised suspicions that Samsung batters were using compressed bats.

After stepping down from coaching, he grabbed the microphone as a broadcasting commentator in the early 2000s.

With the passing of the former manager, Park Young-gil (85), former manager of the Lotte Giants, remains the only surviving inaugural manager among the six founding clubs of the inaugural year of professional baseball.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.