Eo Woo-hong, former manager of the South Korean national baseball team who led the country to victory at the 1982 World Amateur Baseball Championship, passed away today (August 19) at the age of 95.

A former pitcher who began playing baseball at Dongnae Middle School (now Dongnae High School), Eo first made a name for himself as a player by winning the Outstanding Player Award at the 3rd National District Representative Secondary Schools Baseball Championship (now the Golden Lion Flag) in 1949.

After attending Sungkyunkwan University, Eo continued his playing career with corporate baseball teams such as Chosun Electric and Namseon Electric. Following his retirement as a player, he nurtured younger generations as an amateur and corporate baseball coach.

He was often called the " godfather of Busan baseball" for primarily leading baseball teams in the Busan region.

Passing through managerial positions at Busan Commercial High School, Gyeongnam High School, and Dong-A University, he produced a stellar roster of students including Kim Eung-yong, Kang Byeong-chul, Hur Koo-youn, and Kim Yong-hee.

He was appointed to helm the national baseball team in 1981, and in September of the following year, he led stars such as Kim Jae-bak, Choi Dong-won, Han Dae-hwa, and Sun Dong-yeol to the top of the podium at the 27th World Amateur Baseball Championship held in Seoul.

The final match against Japan on the last day of the tournament is celebrated as a legendary game etched into Korean baseball history.

Korea tied the game in the bottom of the 8th inning with Kim Jung-soo's RBI double and Kim Jae-bak's famous "frog bunt," followed by Han Dae-hwa's dramatic 3-run home run to secure a 5-2 victory.

Starting pitcher Sun Dong-yeol pitched a complete game over 9 innings, leading Korea to become the first Asian nation to win the world championship with a record of 8 wins and 1 loss.

In recognition of this achievement, Eo received the Girin Medal of the Order of Sport Merit and the International Baseball Association Manager of the Year Award.

Following the launch of professional baseball, he served as manager for the MBC Blue Dragons from 1984 to 1985 and the Lotte Giants from 1988 to 1989, accumulating 177 career wins in the KBO League.

After retiring from management, he contributed to the development of Korean baseball by taking on various key roles within the baseball community, including inaugural president of Ilguhwe (1991), special advisor to the KBO Commissioner (1991–1996), member of the KBO Senior Advisory Group (1991–2026), and head of the KBO Rule Committee (1992–1996).

In 2014, he also served as the inaugural chairman of the selection committee for the Choi Dong-won Award, which honors the legacy of the late legendary iron-armed pitcher Choi Dong-won.

During Game 5 of the Korean Series held that same year, he took the mound as the ceremonial pitcher and exchanged a pitch with former manager Kim Jae-bak, who served as the catcher, reviving the emotional victory from the world championship 32 years prior.

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) decided to hold a official KBO funeral to honor the late manager's contributions.

This marks the third KBO funeral, following former KBO Commissioner Acting President Lee Yong-il in September of last year and former manager Baek In-cheon, who passed away on the 15th of this month.

The wake for the late former manager Eo has been set up in Room 2 of the Bundang Jesaeng Hospital Funeral Hall in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.

(Photo: Yonhap News)