Samsung Lions designated hitter Yang Joon-hyuk hits his career 341st homer in a KBO game with the LG Twins at his home field in Daegu on May 9. Old-timers, such as Yang, Lee Joong-beom of the Kia Tigers and LG Twins import Roberto Petagine, who are in the twilight of their careers, are outclassing their younger counterparts, brandishing red-hot bats. / Korea Times File |
By Kang Seung-woo
Staff Reporter
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) has witnessed its own ``Curious Case of Benjamin Button'' this season, with a slew of aging veterans proving they can still be counted among the league's best.
Old-timers, such as Lee Jong-beom, of the Kia Tigers, Yang Joon-hyuk of the Samsung Lions and LG Twins import Roberto Petagine, all in the twilight years of their careers, are outclassing their younger counterparts, brandishing red-hot bats.
In addition, their good performances have drawn baseball fans to stadiums, as many of the players who contributed to the Korean team's run to the World Baseball Classic (WBC) final have fallen to injury.
Lee Jong-beom, 38, who was on the verge of retirement last year due to his recent decline in output, has been resurrecting his career.
Lee, the 1994 regular season Most Valuable Player (MVP) and 12-time All-Star, has batted .286 with 26 RBIs and 38 runs in 72 games as of Monday.
His batting average is second to outfielder Kim Won-sup, at .319, among the Tigers hitters, and he also ranks sixth in RBIs and third in runs on the team.
Although his legs, which have earned him over 500 career stolen bases, have lost some speed, the 14-year pro has still notched nine thefts, being caught just once.
The Tigers currently sit third in the league standings, partly thanks to the unexpected season from Lee.
The Gwangju-based team, a perennial title contender until the late 1990s, hasn't made the playoffs since 2006.
Alongside Lee, Lions designated hitter Yang has filled the stat sheet with age-defying action.
The 40-year-old, whose 17-year career batting average is .317, has hit .325, eighth best in the league, driven in 35 runs and scored 42 times.
He's third in on-base percentage (OBP) and eighth in slugging percentage.
Yang has put his name on top of the all-time record tables in eight categories: home runs (349), hits (2,266), doubles (451), total bases (3,814), RBIs (1,356), walks (1,235), at-bats (7,138) and runs (1,280).
Petagine, who joined the Seoul-based Twins last season, is also dominating the KBO offensive stats list, ranking among the best in numerous categories.
The 38-year-old Venezuelan leads the league in RBIs with 67 and his slugging percentage of .612 is also the league's best.
He is second to American big bopper Cliff Brumbaugh of the Heroes in home runs _ 23 to 20 _ and is nine points lower than league-leading Kim Dong-joo of the Doosan Bears in OBP _ .475 to .466.
The left-handed batter ranks sixth and seventh, respectively, in batting average (.338) and hits (89).
SK Wyverns' All-Star catcher Park Kyung-oan has been sidelined after suffering a season-ending torn Achilles tendon while running to second base during a game last month.
But before being ruled out, he was a big boost to the two-time defending champions, who were running away with the lead in the standings.
Park, who will turn 37 on Sunday, had a batting average of .268 in 65 games and blasted 12 homers with 38 RBIs and 32 runs.
Heroes' veteran triumvirate Kim Dong-soo, 40, Song Ji-man, 36, and Lee Soong-yong, 38, have helped their second-year team stay at sixth, one game behind the Lotte Giants, who currently occupy the fourth and final playoff position.
Twins first baseman Choi Dong-soo, 38, has compiled 45 RBIs and 31 runs with a batting average of .303 in 63 games.
ksw@koreatimes.co.kr
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