Baek In-chun (born November 27, 1943) is a retired Korean baseball player. Baek spent most of his career playing in

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

. He finished his career in Korea with the

KBO League The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers ar ...

and then got into managing. Baek holds the KBO record for highest batting average in a season; as a manager he led the

LG Twins LG Corporation (or LG Group) (), formerly Lucky-Goldstar from 1983 to 1995 (Korean: ''Leokki Geumseong''; ), is a South Korean multinational conglomerate founded by Koo In-hwoi and managed by successive generations of his family. It is ...

to their first KBO championship.

Biography

An ethnic Korean, Baek was born in

Wuxi Wuxi (, ) is a city in southern Jiangsu province, eastern China, by car to the northwest of downtown Shanghai, between Changzhou and Suzhou. In 2017 it had a population of 3,542,319, with 6,553,000 living in the entire prefecture-level city ar ...

Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, Postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an Eastern China, eastern coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is o ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, but as a youngster emigrated to

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, where he attended

Tokyo High School Tokyo High School (東京高等学校 ''Tōkyō Kōtōgakkō'') is an independent high school in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan. It was founded in 1872 in what is now Ueno district of Taitō under the name Ueno-juku. It moved to its present location in Ōm ...

."In-cheon Paek,"
Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 2, 2020. He grew to be 5'8" and a sturdy 180 lbs.

Career

NPB

In 1962, at age 19, Baek joined

(NPB) as a catcher for the

Toei Flyers The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Kitahiroshima, Hokkaidō. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at ES CON Field Hokkaido. The Fighters also host a ...

. (Baek was one of the first Koreans to play professional baseball in Japan, joining the great

Isao Harimoto is a Korean former Nippon Professional Baseball player and holder of the record for most hits in the Japanese professional leagues. An ethnic Korean, his birth name is Jang Hun (Hangul: 장훈, Hanja: 張勳). Harimoto has spent his life as a resi ...

irth name ''Jang Hun'' who had joined the Flyers beginning in 1959.) In his first year, the Flyers won their first (and only)

Japan Series The Japan Series ( , officially the Japan Championship Series, ), also the Nippon Series, :File:2014_JS_logo.png is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top baseball league in Japan. It is a best-of-seven series ...

championship, defeating the

Hanshin Tigers The Hanshin Tigers (Japanese: 阪神タイガース ''Hanshin Taigāsu'') are a Nippon Professional Baseball team playing in the Central League. The team is based in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and is owned by Hanshin Electric Railway ...

. Baek played for the franchise for the next 13 years (the team went through a number of sponsors and name changes, becoming the

Nittaku Home Flyers The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Kitahiroshima, Hokkaidō. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at ES CON Field Hokkaido. The Fighters also host a ...

and then the

Nippon-Ham Fighters The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Kitahiroshima, Hokkaidō. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at ES CON Field Hokkaido. The Fighters also host a ...

), starting out as a catcher but after a few years converting to a slugging, speedy outfielder. After being let go by the Fighters after the 1974 season, Baek played seven more seasons in the NPB, for the

Taiheiyo Club Lions The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based north of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Seibu Railway, wh ...

, the

Lotte Orions The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, in the Kantō region, and owned by Lotte Holdings Co., Ltd. History The Marines franchise began in 1950 as the Mainichi Orions, an inaugural ...

, and the

Kintetsu Buffaloes The were a Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) team based in Osaka, Japan, which was in the Pacific League. In 2005 the team was merged with the Orix BlueWave to become the team now known as the Orix Buffaloes. The team played in Fujiidera Stad ...

. For the Lions, he won the 1975

Pacific League The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the annual Japan Series. It currently consis ...

batting title with a .319 average and was declared a 1975

Best Nine Award The Best Nine Award is awarded annually to the best player at each position in both the Central League and Pacific League of Japanese professional baseball as determined by a pool of journalists. History While the Best Nine Award was first presen ...

outfielder. He had one of his best seasons in 1979, at age 35, as he hit .340 with 18 home runs and 71 RBI for the Orions. Over the course of his career in the NPB, Baek hit 209 home runs and stole 212 bases.

KBO

In 1982, South Korea entered the realm of professional baseball with the

, and the veteran Baek moved to his ethnic homeland to join the league — as the player-manager of

MBC Chungyong MBC may refer to: Broadcasting * Major Broadcasting Cable Network, renamed to Black Family Channel * Malawi Broadcasting Corporation, a Malawian state-run radio company * Manila Broadcasting Company, in the Philippines * Mauritius Broadcasting Co ...

. (As a new professional league, the KBO was eager to learn from the experiences of those who had played professionally in Japan.) Incredibly, in his first year the 38-year-old led the league in hitting in 1982, with a batting average of .412 — still a KBO recordHyun-kyung, Kang
"Baseball: Korean baseball shifting to Major League style,"
''The Korea Times'' (March 9, 2017). (although in only 298 plate appearances). That year Baek also led the KBO in runs, hits, doubles, and slugging percentage. After one season as player-manager of the Chungyong, in 1983 Baek joined the

Sammi Superstars The Hyundai Unicorns () were a South Korean professional baseball team based in Suwon. They were a member of the KBO League. The Unicorns won the KBO championship four times (1998, 2000, 2003 and 2004). The Unicorns were dissolved after the 20 ...

as a player-coach, lasting through the 1984 season, when he retired as a player. In 1989, Baek returned to the KBO as a full-time manager, coming back to the Chungyong, which in 1990 became known as the

. In his second year, he led the Twins to their first KBO championship, defeating the

Samsung Lions The Samsung Lions () are a South Korean professional baseball team founded in 1982. They are based in the southeastern city of Daegu and are members of the KBO League. Their home stadium is Daegu Samsung Lions Park. They have won the Korean Champ ...

in the

Korean Series The Korean Series is the final championship series of the KBO League. It has been held since the KBO League's first season in and is the final series of the post-season play-offs. From to 2013, the winner of the Korean Series went on to play in ...

. As a result, Baek was named the 1990 KBO Manager of the Year. Baek managed the Chungyong/Twins for three seasons, leaving after the 1991 season. He managed the

from 1995 to 1997, and served as a coach for the

Hanwha Eagles The Hanwha Eagles ( ko, 한화 이글스) are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Daejeon. They are a member of the KBO League. The Eagles' home ballpark is Daejeon Hanbat Baseball Stadium. The Eagles have won the Korean Series on ...

in 1999. He started 2002 as a coach for the

SK Wyverns SSG Landers () are a South Korean professional baseball team. The team was originally established as the SK Wyverns but was renamed as the SSG Landers in 2021 after Shinsegae acquired the team from SK Group. They are a member of the KBO League. B ...

, but mid-way through the season took over as manager of the

Lotte Giants The Lotte Giants ( ko, 롯데 자이언츠) are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Busan. They are a member of the KBO League. The Lotte Giants are owned by Lotte Corporation, which also owns the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Pro ...

, serving there through the 2003 season.

References

External links

*
Career statistics and player information
from

Korea Baseball Organization The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO; ko, 한국야구위원회) is the governing body for the professional leagues of baseball in South Korea. The KBO was founded in 1981 and has governed two leagues: the KBO League ( ko, KBO 리그) and KBO ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baek, In-chun Baseball announcers Lotte Giants managers Samsung Lions managers LG Twins managers SSG Landers coaches Hanwha Eagles coaches Sammi Superstars players MBC Chungyong players South Korean baseball managers South Korean baseball coaches KBO League designated hitters Kintetsu Buffaloes players Lotte Orions players Taiheiyo Club Lions players Nippon Ham Fighters players Toei Flyers players Nippon Professional Baseball catchers Nippon Professional Baseball outfielders South Korean expatriate baseball players in Japan Sportspeople from Wuxi 1943 births Living people Baseball player-managers