Lee Seung-yeop, 49, former manager of the Doosan Bears who spent his debut professional season in 1995, vividly remembers the moment he first met former manager Baek In-cheon, who took the helm of the Samsung Lions in October of that year.

Lee, who is currently working as a first-team hitting coach for the Yomiuri Giants in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), posted on his social media today (August 15) as his mentor passed away, recalling, "When I was just past 20 years old, the manager always told me, 'You can become the best player in South Korea, and you must also advance to Japanese professional baseball.'"

Lee shared, "To me, who answered without hesitation that I wanted to become a home run hitter, the manager told me I needed to change one or two things, and I naturally replied that I understood. From that day on, I started training alongside the manager."

He added, "I still vividly remember the completely different practice methods, the rigorous training, and the way the manager scolded me more sternly than anyone else whenever I showed the slightest sign of complacency."

Baek invited a hitting coach from Japan to work with Lee, and that was how Lee's early batting stance, the "crane stance," was born.

Afterward, Lee hit 32 home runs in 1997 to claim his first career home run title and blossomed into a player who dominated the league.

Just as his mentor had said, he advanced to NPB after the 2003 season and launched soaring home runs in Japan as well.

Expressing his gratitude, Lee said, "He was a precious person who helped me dream bigger and look higher when I was only focusing on realistic goals. As a result, I became the home run hitter I dreamed of and grew into a player capable of hitting many home runs."

Baek, who suffered his first cerebral infarction when he took charge of Samsung and collapsed multiple times thereafter due to the same symptoms, was taken to the hospital in cardiac arrest on August 14 and passed away a day later.

Concluding his message, Lee wrote, "Manager, whom I respected and was most grateful to, I hope you are no longer in pain and can rest comfortably and happily in heaven. I will never forget what you taught me and the confidence you instilled in me."

(Photo: Yonhap News)