Former manager Paek In-cheon in 2019 [Newsis]
Former manager Paek In-cheon in 2019 [Newsis]

Paek In-cheon, 83, the only .400 hitter in Korean professional baseball history, was initially reported dead Friday, but a faint pulse was detected and he is now in critical condition receiving treatment.

According to the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) and people close to Paek, he was transported by ambulance to Soonchunhyang University Hospital near his home at around 6 a.m. Friday after suffering cardiac arrest.

Acquaintances and emergency responders were told at the hospital that he had stopped breathing, prompting news outlets to report his death.

However, after Paek was transferred to Dankook University Hospital in Cheonan — where he had been receiving regular checkups — in preparation for funeral arrangements, a faint pulse was confirmed.

As of 1:20 p.m. Friday, Paek remained in the emergency room on an oxygen respirator. Family members and close acquaintances were keeping watch over his condition. His family is said not to wish to pursue life-sustaining treatment.

Paek had previously collapsed four times due to cerebral infarction but fought through each episode with remarkable resilience. He had undergone a routine checkup in relatively good condition as recently as Thursday.

In 1982, the inaugural season of Korean professional baseball, Paek served as player-manager of the MBC Cheongryong and batted .412 that year — a mark that remains the only .400-plus average in the league's history. He played for 23 years across Korean and Japanese professional baseball and managed the MBC Cheongryong, LG Twins, Samsung Lions and Lotte Giants.


paq@heraldcorp.com