이종범 李鍾範
Baseball player and coach nicknamed 'Son of the Wind', who played for Haitai/KIA and the Chunichi Dragons
| Life | 1970 |
| Era | 현대 |
| Clan | 함평 이씨 |
Life & career
Yi Jong-beom (born 1970) is a Korean baseball player, coach and commentator, born on 15 August 1970 and introduced as a descendant of the Giseong-gun branch of the Hampyeong Yi. Nicknamed the baseball genius and the Son of the Wind, he was the spiritual pillar of his team.
He joined the Haitai Tigers as a first-round pick in 1993 and in the Korean Series that year performed so well that he became Korean Series MVP. In 1994 he recorded a single-season record of 84 stolen bases, along with 196 hits and a late-.300s average. After the 1997 season he moved to Japan's Chunichi Dragons but struggled with an elbow injury and other problems and returned to the KIA Tigers in 2001.
He captained the national team at the 2006 WBC and announced his retirement in March 2012, and his number 7 was retired. He then worked as a base-running coach for the Hanwha Eagles and as a commentator. When his son Yi Jeong-hu was picked first by Nexen in 2016, they drew attention as the first father and son in the KBO to be a first-round pick and a league MVP.
Star of the Haitai Tigers
After becoming Korean Series MVP as a rookie in 1993 he set a season record of 84 stolen bases in 1994. The rookie of the year award went to Yang Jun-hyeok of Samsung.
Japan and the Return
After the 1997 season he moved to the Chunichi Dragons and became an outfielder. After an elbow fracture, a slump and heavy stress he terminated the contract and returned to KIA in July 2001. In 2003 he joined the 20-20 club with 20 home runs and 50 stolen bases.
Retirement and Yi Jeong-hu
On 26 May 2012 a retirement ceremony was held at Gwangju Mudeung Stadium, with every player wearing the number 7 uniform. His son Yi Jeong-hu entered the pros as a first-round pick ahead of the 2017 draft.