Lee Jong-beom

Lee Jong-Beom (Korean: 이종범, Hanja: 李鍾範; born August 15, 1970) is a South Korean professional baseball player who played for the Kia Tigers. He is nicknamed "Son of the Wind" (바람의 아들) for his speed.[1] (He was also known as the "Korean Ichiro.")[1] Lee is considered one of the best five-tool players in Korean baseball history. In addition to his 16 seasons in the KBO League, Lee played parts of four seasons in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league.

For the South Korean webcomic artist, see Lee Jong-beom (artist).
Lee Jong-Beom
Shortstop, Outfielder
Born: (1970-08-15) August 15, 1970
Batted: Right Threw: Right
Professional debut
KBO: April 10, 1993, for the Haitai Tigers
NPB: 1998, for the Chunichi Dragons
Last appearance
KBO: May 26, 2012, for the Kia Tigers
NPB: 2001, for the Chunichi Dragons
KBO statistics
Batting average.297
Home runs194
RBI730
Stolen bases510
NPB statistics
Batting average.261
Home runs27
Runs batted in99
Stolen bases53
Teams
As player

As coach

Career highlights and awards
KBO
Lee Jong-beom
Hangul
이종범
Hanja
Revised RomanizationI Jongbeom
McCune–ReischauerYi Chongbŏm
This is a Korean name; the family name is Lee.

Lee was a 13-time KBO All Star, and a six-time winner of the KBO League Golden Glove Award. He holds the single-season stolen base record in the KBO, with 84, and one hit .393 in a season, second-best all-time. Winner of the KBO League Most Valuable Player Award in 1996, Lee also won the Korean Series Most Valuable Player Award twice (his Tigers won four Korean Series championships). Lee's number 7 was retired by the Kia Tigers in 2012.

He started his career at shortstop but played mainly at center field in later years.

Career
Lee Jong-Beom's number 7 was retired by the Kia Tigers in 2012.

Lee burst onto the 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 Korean Series championship, being named Korea Series MVP.

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 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 won the KBO League Most Valuable Player Award, 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 in 1998, playing for the Chunichi Dragons 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. 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.

Playing for the Bronze Medal-winning Korean team in the 2006 World Baseball Classic, Lee had six doubles and hit .400, and was named as an outfielder to the All WBC Team (alongside Ken Griffey Jr. and Ichiro Suzuki).

In April 2012, Lee announced his retirement from baseball.[2]

Over his career, he KBO accumulated 510 stolen bases (second all-time),[3] 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 in 2013–2014.

Personal life

Lee's son Lee Jung-hoo is also a KBO League player, and won the KBO League Rookie of the Year Award in 2017.[4][1]

See also

References
  1. "Jong-beom Lee," Baseball-Reference Bullpen. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  2. "Lee Jong-beom, oldest active baseball player, announces retirement". Yonhap. April 2, 2012.
  3. Hyun-kyung, Kang. "KT Wiz outfielder seeks to become all-time leader in stolen base," The Korea Times (2017-07-21).
  4. "Power rankings, top players, key storylines and more: Everything you need for KBO opening day". ESPN.com. 2020-05-04. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.