Baek In-cheon, the legendary former manager who achieved a .400 batting average in the inaugural season of the KBO League, has passed away, prompting deep mourning within the baseball community.
According to the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), Baek's funeral was held on the morning of the 17th at Dankook University Hospital in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province.
The funeral was conducted as a KBO funeral, marking only the second instance of its kind, following former KBO acting president Lee Yong-il. Attendees included KBO President Heo Koo-yeon, Secretary General Park Geun-chan, former police baseball team manager Yoo Seung-an, and family members, all gathering to pay their respects.
After the funeral, Baek was laid to rest at Rodem Park in Yongin, following a visit to Cheonan Memorial Park.
Baek was found in cardiac arrest at his home in Cheonan on the morning of the 14th and was rushed to a nearby hospital. Despite temporarily regaining blood pressure and pulse after CPR, he ultimately succumbed to a severe condition caused by a brain hemorrhage at 6:41 a.m. on the 15th at Dankook University Hospital.
On the day of his passing, all ten KBO teams held a moment of silence before games at five stadiums nationwide to honor the 'immortal hitter.'
Born in 1942 in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, China, Baek fled to South Korea during the Korean War and is regarded as a pioneer of Korean baseball. He played for Kyungdong High School and the Agricultural Bank (industrial baseball) before joining the Toei Flyers (now Nippon Ham Fighters) in Japan's professional baseball league in 1962. He established a solid reputation over 19 years in Japan, retiring in 1981.
Upon returning to Korea in 1982, Baek became the first player-manager of the MBC Cheongryong, where he made history by achieving a .412 batting average in the league's inaugural season, a record that remains unbroken after 44 years.
As a manager, Baek left a significant mark, leading the LG Twins, who acquired MBC Cheongryong in 1990, to a championship in his first year. He also managed the Samsung Lions and Lotte Giants during his career.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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