Only .400 hitter in Korean baseball history dies

Baek In-chun, the sole player to achieve a .400 batting average in Korean professional baseball history, passed away on Friday at the age of 82, according to the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). Found in cardiac arrest at his Cheonan residence, Baek was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead at approximately 6:30 a.m. local time.

Despite suffering from four cerebral infarctions in recent years, sources close to the individual stated that he appeared to be in relatively good health during his regular medical checkup on Thursday.

Baek served as the player-manager for MBC Chungyong (currently the LG Twins) during the inaugural KBO season in 1982, when he batted an impressive .412. This remains the only instance in league history of a player topping the batting average milestone in a single season. In 2014, the Korea Pro Baseball Players Alumni Association established the Baek In-chun Award in his honor, recognizing the best high school or college hitter each year.

The KBO announced that an official funeral would be held in Baek's memory, as he later transitioned into a career as a hitting coach and manager within the KBO organization.