Baek In-chun (born November 27, 1943) is a retired

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Moder ...

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

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 catch ...

player-manager A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...

and

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

. Baek spent most of his career playing in

Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league ...

. He finished his career in Korea with the

KBO League The KBO League () is a professional baseball league in South Korea. The league comprises ten teams. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers are the most success ...

and then got into managing. Baek holds the KBO record for highest

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

in a season; as a manager he led the

LG Twins The LG Twins () are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Seoul, South Korea. They are a member of the KBO League. The Twins play their home games at Jamsil Baseball Stadium, which they share with their rivals, the Doosan Bears. ...

to their first KBO championship.

Biography

An ethnic Korean, Baek was born in

Wuxi Wuxi ( zh, s=无锡, p=Wúxī, ) is a city in southern Jiangsu, China. As of the 2024 census, it had a population of 7,495,000. The city lies in the southern Yangtze delta and borders Lake Tai. Notable landmarks include Lihu Park, the Mt. Lings ...

Jiangsu Jiangsu is a coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province in East China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its capital in Nanjing. Jiangsu is the List of Chinese administra ...

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

, but as a youngster emigrated to

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, 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, Ōta, Tokyo, Japan. It was founded in 1872 in what is now Ueno, Tokyo, Ueno district of Taitō, Tokyo, Taitō under the name Ueno-juku. ...

."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 in Japan, baseball team based in Kitahiroshima, Hokkaido, Kitahiroshima, Hokkaidō, in the Sapporo metropolitan area. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the major ...

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

Isao Harimoto is a Korean-Japanese 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 (). Harimoto has spent his life as a resident of Japan and a ...

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, is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top baseball league in Japan. It is a best-of-seven series between the winning cl ...

championship, defeating the

Hanshin Tigers The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team playing in the Central League. The team is based in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, next to their main stadium, Hanshin Koshien Stadium. The Tigers are owned by Hanshin Electric Railway Co., ...

. 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, in the Sapporo metropolitan area. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at ES CON Field Ho ...

and then the

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

), 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, ...

, 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. The Marines were a founding member of the Pacific League in as the Mainichi Ori ...

, 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 Sta ...

. For the Lions, he won the 1975

Pacific League The , or , or the , due to sponsorship reasons, 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 a ...

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 prese ...

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 The LG Twins () are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Seoul, South Korea. They are a member of the KBO League. The Twins play their home games at Jamsil Baseball Stadium, which they share with their rivals, the Doosan Bears. ...

. (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 Cha ...

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 ...

. 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 () are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Daejeon that competes in the KBO League. The Eagles' home ballpark is Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark. They have won the Korean Series once, in 1999, and the league penn ...

in 1999. He started 2002 as a coach for the

SK Wyverns SSG Landers () are a South Korean professional baseball, 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 membe ...

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

Lotte Giants The Lotte Giants () are a South Korean professional baseball, professional baseball team based in Busan. They are a member of the KBO League. The Lotte Giants are owned by Lotte Corporation. From 1982 through 1985, they played at Gudeok Baseball ...

, serving there through the 2003 season.

References

External links

*
Career statistics and player information
from

Korea Baseball Organization The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO; ) is the Sport governing body, 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 () and KBO Futures League ( (F ...

{{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