by YONHAP NEWS AGENCY
INCHEON, June 20 (Yonhap) — Lee Seung-yeop of the Samsung Lions became the greatest home run hitter in South Korean baseball on Thursday.
Lee belted his 352nd career home run against the SK Wyverns in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) to overtake the retired All-Star Yang Joon-hyuk as the league’s all-time leader.
Lee, 36, tied Yang’s record last Saturday in his 1,321st game, and surpassed his former Samsung teammate in his 1,324th game. Yang retired in 2010 after playing 2,057 games in 18 seasons.
One of the most feared sluggers in the league’s 31-year history, Lee has played his entire 11-year KBO career with the Lions, based in his hometown city of Daegu, about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul.
He was drafted out of high school as a pitcher but converted to first baseman in his rookie season in 1995. After hitting 13 home runs in 1995 and nine in 1996, Lee exploded in 1997 with the KBO-leading 32 home runs, a breakout performance that also gave him his first MVP honors.
