Only .400 hitter in Korean baseball history dies
Former Korea Baseball Organization player and manager Baek In-chun speaks during an annual awards ceremony hosted by the Korea Pro Baseball Players Alumni Association in Seoul, in this 2019 photo. Yonhap
Baek In-chun, the only player to bat .400 in a Korean professional baseball season, died Friday at the age of 82, officials said.
According to the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), Baek was found in cardiac arrest early Friday in his home in Cheonan, some 90 kilometers south of Seoul, and was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead at around 6:30 a.m.
Baek had suffered four cerebral infarctions in recent years, though sources close to Baek said he had undergone his regular medical checkup in relatively good condition Thursday.
As player-manager for MBC Chungyong (currently the LG Twins) in the inaugural KBO season in 1982, Baek batted .412. He remains the only player in league history to top the hallowed mark in batting average in a season.
In 2014, the Korea Pro Baseball Players Alumni Association created the "Baek In-chun Award" in the former star's honor to recognize the best high school or college hitter each year.
The KBO said it will organize an official funeral for Baek, who went on to serve as hitting coach and manager in the KBO following his playing career. He was named Manager of the Year for the Twins in 1990, when he led them to the Korean Series title.