Do you know this guy? Probably not, but I would be remiss if I did my weekly blog entry on anything but his retirement. He is a member of my favourite Korean baseball team, the Kia Tigers. Has been since 1993 when they were the Hae Tae Tigers. He is somewhat of a hero in Korea and a SUPERhero in Gwangju, where I spent most of my time while in Korea. Amongst members of the KBO, (Korea Baseball Organization), he is a legend. And to Tigers fans he is a veritable GOD!
Nicknamed "Param I Adeul" or "Son of the wind" for his speed, he stole 73 bases in his rookie season. The next year, 1994, he had his miracle season and his legend took root. Imagine a batting average of .400. It's kind of an unreachable dream in professional baseball. If anyone in any league gets .400 he's an instant phenom! Lee Jong Beom hit .393 in 1994! Absolutely unheard of! Even TWO ninety three is a fantastic average.
Imaginge getting 200 hits. Ichiro gets a 200-hit season every year it seems but he's a freak. 10 seasons in a row I think. A FREAK! But other than him and Gwynn, who are probably the two best hitters ever, you check out 200-hit seasons and the list reads like an All Star game roster. But usually it only happened once or maybe twice for the players on the list. The majors have a 162-game season while the KBO only plays a 133-game campaign. He got 196 hits in '94. That's well over a 200-hit season in the majors.
Imagine stealing 100 bases. You have to go back to the 80's when Vince Coleman and Ricky Henderson were just running every single time they got on base to see the last time that happened in the majors. They got thrown out a lot too and although I don't have that stat for Lee Jong Beom, he got 84 stolen bases in 1994 and I KNOW he had a much better stealing percentage than Henderson or Coleman. And here's a mind-blowing stat: he hit into 2 double plays. TWO!
The next year the Tigers came in fourth place when Lee Jong Beom was doing his mandatory military service. They won the series the next year while he was still in the military and the year he got out of the military, they won it again. He missed the two seasons following arguably the best year of anyone EVER in the KBO! How many nights of sleep have been lost by how many Tiger fans contemplating what he might have done if he weren't doing push-ups and marching for his country in '95 and '96? Like those two lost years, it will always be a mystery.
He had some other great seasons too. In 1997 he got 30 homers and 60 stolen bases. You know how many times that has been done in the majors? None. The 30-30 club is VERY exclusive. And only 4 guys have done the 40-40 thing. But NEVER a 30-60 man! He also had 25-57 and 20-50 years.
He was a major part of the Hae Tae Tigers winning 2 of their 9 KBO championships in a 15 year stretch. And he won ONE glorious championship with the KIA Tigers, while I watched. He has never missed a KBO All Star Game. He has an amazing career in international baseball for Korea. His career was a classy as could be, but everyone knew the day was coming when Lee Jong Beom would hang up the cleats, put the glove in the garage, and swap the chewing tobacco for sunflower seeds.
It was tonight. Or technically tomorrow night. I was up at 3 AM watching the ball game. Though it was often in doubt, thankfully the Tigers pulled out the win for their fifth in a row. And Lee Jong Beom had the game of his LIFE! 8 hits, 5 walks, 6 runs, 6 RBI's, a win, a save and 5 strike-outs! I told you he was a stud! Then the lights were turned down and in flies Lee Jong Beom on a parasail fan bike dealy with sparks coming out the rear end. Only for a guy like Lee Jong Beom would I sit through the ensuing shmaultz! Korea! Sometimes they can pile on the cheese. At one point they were singing one of his songs which translates into "Lee Jong Beom, Lee Jong Beom, get a hit Lee Jong Beom" and he wasn't even on the field. A bit hokey but I didn't care. It was a pretty good tribute.
My favourite part was the fact that every player wore a jersey with Lee Jong Beom's number 7 AND his name on the back! Hence the bloated stat line above.
I cheered for Lee Jong Beom and sang his cheer songs the whole 10 seasons he was a Kia Tiger. My favourite was the Pepsiman superhero music after which all the fans shouted LEE JONG BEOM! That's pretty much how we think of him. Even though Pepsiman was a bit of a blunderer, he was a superhero, and so was Lee Jong Beom.
I have taken quite a few pictures of him in action, one of which he heard me ask for and posed. That was a highlight of my baseball watching career in Korea. If there were ANY place in the entire country of Korea where a guy my size could get a Kia Tigers jersey, (that was embroidered, not iron on), I would have one with his number 7 and name on it. I tried for YEARS to find one but to no avail. I STILL want a shirt like that! Now more than ever.
If you ask a true Tiger fan who his/her favourite player is they'll probably have 2. I am a true Kia Tiger fan and if asked I would say, "Yoon Seok Min... and Lee Jong Beom, of course." He is tied for the favourite player of anyone who really gets Tiger baseball. He is one of those guys whose influence on the franchise is immeasurable and I must admit I got a tear in my eye while watching the farewell ceremonies. I'll miss seeing number 7 taking his cuts and tracking down fly balls in the field but he had a great career and went out with class. Farewell Lee Jong Beom.
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