Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Lee close to becoming RBI king
By Jung Min-ho
By Jung Min-ho
Orix Buffaloes cleanup hitter Lee Dae-ho is set to be crowned the Pacific League RBI king title in Nippon Professional Baseball. The 30-year-old Korean has 91, followed by Saitama Seibu Lions’ Takeya Nakamura, who finished his season Sunday, with 79.
In his last home game against the SoftBank Hawks at the Fukuoka’s Yahoo Dome on Monday, Lee had two hits in four at-bats, adding one RBI to his tally in his team’s 3-0 victory. With the No. 3 Wily Mo Pena of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks having ended his season with 76 RBIs on the same day, it is highly unlikely for any other player to reach 91 in one game. The full season will end after the final game between the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighter and Chiba Lotte Marines Tuesday. Barring a miraculous performance from them, Lee will top the RBI standings in his first season in Japan.
Along with Sho Nakata of Ham Fighters, the Korean slugger is second in the home run race with 24, but three behind Nakamura. His .286 batting average sees him ranked 10th.
The former Lotte Giants player was one of the most popular figures in the Korean league. Throughout his 10-year career there, he set many records, including hitting home runs in nine consecutive games for the first time in professional baseball history.
Nevertheless, many doubted his success in Japan where the style and culture of the sport are very different, especially after Lee Seung-yeop and Kim Tae-kyun both failed to live up to their reputations there.
With solid numbers this year Lee Dae-ho has banished the doubts over his success in Japan.
However, Lee’s weakness in dealing with left-handed pitchers remains an area that needs some work. His batting average against right-handers is 0.303 compared to .242 when facing lefties.
Despite Lee’s efforts, the Buffaloes struggled throughout the season, rooted at the bottom of the league for most of it with 57 wins, 10 draws and 77 losses. His superior performance was unable to lift the Osaka-based team up the table.
Leaving much to be desired for the next season, Lee is expected to return to Korea Wednesday.