Former manager Bae Seong-seo, who made a name as a prominent figure in Korean baseball, passed away on the night of the 5th. He was 81 years old.
The Association of Ilgu (일구회) reported on the 7th that they were devastated by the sudden news, having visited Manager Bae, who was ill since early February. Manager Bae's health had recently deteriorated due to a chronic illness, a cerebral infarction, and his son, Korean-American missionary Kenneth Bae, was by his side at his passing on the night of the 5th.
Born in 1944 in Yeongbyeon, North Phyongan Province, Manager Bae played as a catcher during the 6th Overseas Koreans' Student Visit to the Homeland game in 1962 while attending Sunrin High School. After going through the Korea National Sports University, he played for the corporate baseball teams Hanil Bank and Crown Beer, and he began his coaching career in 1973 as the inaugural head coach at Yeongnam University, where he raised the profile of amateur baseball. At Yeongnam University, he developed top shortstop Kim Jae-bak, and at Dongguk University, he coached powerful hitter Kim Sung-han and Han Dae-hwa.
In the 1982 World Championship held in Seoul, he assisted Coach Oh Woo-hong, helping the team defeat Japan and secure victory in the first-ever World Championship. He then became the first manager of the Hanwha Eagles, the predecessor of the Hanwha Eagles.
Manager Bae, who led the team for three years, laid the foundation for the team through intense training. Believing that practice was the only way to catch up with existing teams as a new team, he drove thorough basic skill acquisition and performance improvement through rigorous training. The home run king Jang Jong-hun, known as the 'Myth of the Trainee', was also a player discovered by Manager Bae.
Though they finished last in their first year in the first division in 1986, placing 7th, Manager Bae successfully climbed to 6th place in 1987, but he stepped down after just two seasons in the first division. Subsequently, under Coach Kim Young-deok, Binggrae reached the Korean Series four times between 1988 and 1992, enjoying a golden era, and Manager Bae's leadership was re-evaluated.
Afterward, in 1989, Manager Bae, who also managed the MBC Cheongryong (now LG Twins), finished 6th and stepped down after a year. He remained the last manager of MBC Cheongryong, which was sold to LG in 1990, marking the end of Manager Bae's professional baseball career. His overall record over three seasons was 336 games, 127 wins, 200 losses, and 9 ties, with a win rate of .388.
Kim Kwang-soo, president of the Ilgu Association, recalled the late manager, saying, “Although we never played on the same team, he was a senior in high school and college. He was generous and sociable, so many juniors were drawn to him,” adding, “Despite the physically demanding training volume, he treated players without discrimination and was liked by everyone.”
Manager Bae's mortuary has been set up in room 7 of the Yonsei University Severance Hospital funeral hall. The funeral will take place on the 9th.
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