Former slugger departs the Giants 16 years after his playing days there

Former Yomiuri Giants coach Lee Seung-yeop [Newsis]
Former Yomiuri Giants coach Lee Seung-yeop [Newsis]

Lee Seung-yeop, 50, the former Doosan Bears manager, has stepped down as hitting coach of the Yomiuri Giants in Japan's professional baseball league after just one season.

The Giants officially announced Wednesday that Lee would leave the club at the end of this season. Lee also confirmed his departure on SNS that day, writing, "I sincerely thank all the fans who have continued to support Yomiuri this year," and adding, "I will be leaving the team at the end of this season."

He expressed gratitude to former manager Abe Shinnosuke, who gave him the opportunity to wear the Yomiuri uniform again and work with players. Lee also reflected on the reunion as meaningful, having returned to the club as a coach alongside former teammates from his playing days.

Known as the "slugger of Asia" for hitting a combined 626 home runs across Korea and Japan during his playing career, Lee was a key run producer for Yomiuri from 2006 to 2010. After retiring, he made his managerial debut with Doosan in 2023, but stepped down in June 2025 before completing his contract, taking responsibility for the team's poor results.

He subsequently served as a temporary coach at Yomiuri's fall finishing camp last year, then joined the first-team coaching staff as hitting coach this season at the invitation of Abe, who was manager at the time.

After the season ended, Lee told Sports Hochi, "The young players worked hard, and I really feel they grew a lot. I think the Giants' future is bright."

Yomiuri finished second in the Central League regular season and advanced to the postseason, but were eliminated in the first stage of the Climax Series, falling to third-place Yokohama DeNA BayStars.


yjc@heraldcorp.com