Lee Jong-beom ( ko, 이종범,

Hanja Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, wh ...

: 李鍾範; born August 15, 1970) is a former

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

n professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

player who played for the

Kia Tigers Kia Tigers ( ko, KIA 타이거즈) are a South Korean professional baseball team founded in 1982 and based in the southwestern city of Gwangju. Until 2001, they were known as the Haitai Tigers. The Tigers are a members of the KBO League and are ...

(formerly the Haitai Tigers) in 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 the

Chunichi Dragons The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chūbu region of Japan. The team plays in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. They have won the Central League pennant nine times (most recently in 2011) ...

in Japan from 1993 to 2011. He is nicknamed "Son of the Wind" (바람의 아들) for his speed. (He was also known as "Baseball Genius" and the "Korean Ichiro".) Lee is widely considered one of the best five-tool players in Korean baseball history, and the best all-around KBO player of the 1990s. Lee was the 1994 KBO League MVP, a 13-time KBO All Star, and a six-time winner of the

KBO League Golden Glove Award The KBO League Golden Glove Award is an award given out annually by the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) to the best overall player at each position in the KBO League. It is also commonly known as the KBO Golden Gloves. The award was established i ...

. He holds the single-season stolen base record in the KBO, with 84, and once hit .393 in a season, second-best all-time. Lee also won the

Korean Series Most Valuable Player Award The Korean Series Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award is given to the player deemed to have the most impact on his team's performance in the Korean Series, which is the final round of the KBO League postseason. The award was first presented in 1982. ...

twice (his Tigers won four

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 ...

championships). Lee's number 7 was retired by the Kia Tigers in 2012. He started his career at

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

, where he played through 1997, and mainly played

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

in later years.

Career

Lee graduated from

Gwangju Jeil High School Gwangju Jeil High School ( ko, 광주제일고등학교) is a boys' high school in Gwangju, South Korea. It has 840 students in grades 10, 11, and 12.Keh, Andrew"School Spirit May Be Metaphysical for South Korean Baseball Players,"''New York T ...

, where he excelled in baseball,Keh, Andrew
"School Spirit May Be Metaphysical for South Korean Baseball Players,"
''New York Times'' (Oct. 2, 2015). leading his team to the Cheongryonggi championship as a senior.Chang Hye-soo, Limb Jae-un
"Kia Tigers outfielder invigorated after last season’s slump, pay cut,"
''Korea JoongAng Daily'' (April 25, 2005). He burst onto the KBO scene as a rookie shortstop in 1993, leading the league in runs, stealing 73 bases, being named to the All-Star team, winning a Golden Glove Award, and leading the Tigers to the

championship. During the Series, Lee hit .313 (9 hits in 29 at-bats) with three steals, and was given the

. His sophomore season was just as impressive, as he hit .393 (second all-time in the KBO), led the league in hits and runs, and stole a league-record 84 bases. That year he won the

KBO League Most Valuable Player Award The KBO League Most Valuable Player Award is given to the player judged the most valuable player in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) League. The most recent winner is Ariel Miranda of the Doosan Bears The Doosan Bears ( ko, 두산 베어� ...

and his second Golden Glove. Lee played only a half-season's worth of games in 1995 due to commitments for military service, which is mandatory for all male South Korean citizens over 18. In 1996, Lee led the league in runs, and again won a Golden Glove. The Tigers prevailed in the Korean Series, with Lee again receiving the series MVP award. Lee had a "30-60 season" in 1997, in which he hit 30 home runs and stole more than 60 bases. He led the league in runs, picked up another Golden Glove, and his Tigers again won the KBO championship. Lee moved to the

NPB 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 ...

in 1998, playing for the

from 1998 to 2001. Over four seasons in the NPB, Lee hit a disappointing .261 with a total of 27 home runs, 99 RBI, and 53 stolen bases (he was also

hit by a pitch In baseball, hit by pitch (HBP) is an event in which a batter or his clothing or equipment (other than his bat) is struck directly by a pitch from the pitcher; the batter is called a hit batsman (HB). A hit batsman is awarded first base, provided ...

and broke his elbow in 1998). While in the NPB, Lee shifted from shortstop to the outfield. After a slow start in Japan in 2001, Lee returned to the KBO and the Tigers. He returned to form in 2002–2004, winning two more Golden Glove awards, leading the league in doubles in 2003, and in runs in 2004. Despite this, he voluntarily took a pay cut after the 2004 season. Playing for the bronze medal-winning Korean team in the

2006 World Baseball Classic The 2006 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was the inaugural tournament between national baseball teams that included players from Major League Baseball. It was held from March 3 to 20 in stadiums that are in and around Tokyo, Japan; San Juan, Puerto ...

, Lee had six doubles and hit .400, and was named as an outfielder to the All WBC Team (alongside

Ken Griffey Jr. George Kenneth Griffey Jr. (born November 21, 1969), nicknamed "Junior" and "the Kid", is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played 22 years in Major League Baseball (MLB). He spent most of his career with the Seattle Marin ...

and

Ichiro Suzuki , also known mononymously as , is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder who played professionally for 28 seasons. He played nine years of his career with the Orix BlueWave of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), where he began his ...

). In April 2012, prior to opening day, Lee announced his retirement from baseball. Over his career, he KBO accumulated 510 stolen bases (second all-time), winning four Gold Gloves as a shortstop and two as an outfielder, and never missing a single All Star Game during his professional career in Korea. Lee 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 2013–2014.

Personal life

Lee is married to Jeong Jeong-min their son

Lee Jung-hoo Lee Jung-hoo (; born August 20, 1998) is a South Korean outfielder who plays for the Kiwoom Heroes of the KBO League. He is the son of former KBO League MVP Lee Jong-beom. nicknamed "Son of the Wind," so he is called "Grandson of the Wind." ...

is a KBO League player, and won the

KBO League Rookie of the Year Award The KBO League Rookie of the Year Award is given to the player judged the best first-year player in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) League. The most recent winner is Lee Jung-hoo of the Nexen Heroes The Kiwoom Heroes () are a South Korea ...

in 2017.

References

External links

Retired 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:Lee, Jong-Beom Hanwha Eagles coaches 2006 World Baseball Classic players Kia Tigers players Chunichi Dragons players Haitai Tigers players South Korean expatriate baseball players in Japan Korean Series MVPs KBO League Most Valuable Player Award winners KBO League outfielders KBO League shortstops Konkuk University alumni 1970 births Living people Asian Games medalists in baseball Sportspeople from Gwangju South Korean baseball coaches Baseball players with retired numbers Baseball players at the 1990 Asian Games Baseball players at the 2002 Asian Games Medalists at the 2002 Asian Games Asian Games gold medalists for South Korea

Career

Personal life

See also

References

External links