{
  "id": 825485,
  "title": "Only .400 hitter in Korean baseball history dies",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/14/only-400-hitter-in-korean-baseball-history-dies-825485",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-14T01:52:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/sports/20260814/only-400-hitter-in-korean-baseball-history-dies"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.\n\nBaek 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.",
  "summary": "Baek In-chun, the only player to bat .400 in a Korean professional baseball season, died Friday at the age of 82, officials said. According to the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), Baek was found in cardiac arrest early Friday in his home in Cheonan, some 90 kilometers south of Seoul, and was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead at around 6:30 a.m. Baek had suffered…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "Only .400 hitter in S. Korean baseball history dies",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/14/only-400-hitter-in-s-korean-baseball-history-dies",
        "published": "2026-08-14T00:18:20.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Only .400 hitter in Korean baseball history dies",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/14/only-400-hitter-in-korean-baseball-history-dies",
        "published": "2026-08-14T01:42:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}