| Lee Man-soo | |
|---|---|
| Catcher,First baseman | |
| Born: (1958-09-09)9 September 1958 (age 67) | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| KBO debut | |
| March 27, 1982, for the Samsung Lions | |
| Last KBO appearance | |
| 1997, for the Samsung Lions | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .296 |
| Home runs | 252 |
| Hits | 1,276 |
| RBI | 861 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| As player As coach As manager | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Lee Man-soo | |
| Hangul | 이만수 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 李萬洙 |
| RR | I Mansu |
| MR | I Mansu |
Lee Man-soo (Korean: 이만수;Hanja: 李萬洙; born September 9, 1958, inCheorwon,Gangwon Province,South Korea), also spelled asMan Soo Lee, is a formerKorea Professional Baseballcatcher andFirst baseman andmanager. After a distinguished career as a professional player inSouth Korea from 1982 to 1997,[1] Lee moved on to coaching in 1998, including positions on thecoaching staff of theChicago White Sox,[2] and came back to South Korea in 2006 to serve as a bench coach for theSK Wyverns.
Upon graduation fromHanyang University in 1982, Lee made an agreement with theKorea Baseball Organization to play for one of the new pro league's teams instead of remaining in the amateur league. Prior to the inauguralKorean professional baseball season, Lee was finally signed by theSamsung Lions. In the first game of the KBO pro league on March 27, 1982, Lee hit the first home run in Korean professional baseball history against theMBC Chungyong. Lee was a regular catcher of the Lions during the 1982 season and helped his team to reach to the inaugural Korean Series, where the Lions lost to theOB Bears, 4–1–1.
Lee, nicknamed "Hulk" and "Babe Ruth ofKorea" for his power and home run ability,[3] was a full-time catcher and first baseman for 16 seasons with theSamsung Lions, hitting 252home runs and knocking in 861RBIs during his career. In 1983, he won his first home run title and was named league MVP, and the next year became the league's firsttriple crown winner as the leader in three major offensive categories ― home runs (23), runs batted in (80) andbatting average (.340).[3] His home run and RBI totals also led the league in 1985.Gold Gloves came in 5 straight years, 1983–1987, and he appeared in 12All-Star games. Lee's ultimate career home run total, 252, remained the record untilChang Jong-hoon of theHanwha Eagles hit his 253rd on May 23, 1999.[4]
After retiring in 1997, Lee began his coaching career in the United States as thehitting coach for theClass AKinston Indians in 1998. He moved to the White Sox organization in 1999, and served as thefirst base coach for the White SoxAAA affiliateCharlotte Knights until assuming his bullpen position with the big club in 2000. From 2000 to 2006, Lee was a coaching staff for the Chicago White Sox, the first Korean to coach in the major leagues. In 2005, as a coach for the White Sox, he earned aWorld Series ring following the2005 World Series.[5]
After the 2006 season, Lee returned to South Korea and signed a two-year contract with the SK Wyverns as the club's bench coach on October 30, 2006. On August 18, 2011, SK Wyverns managerKim Sung-keun was sacked following his decision to retire from coaching after the 2011 season. Kim's dismissal came just one day after the 68-year-old manager announced his decision to step down from his post at the end of the season, and Lee was named interim manager of the Wyverns on the same day.[6]