There are only three players in the KBO League who have achieved 50 homers in one season.
Doosan Bears coach Lee Seung-yeop opened the era of the first 50 home runs in the KBO in 1999 and set a new record for most home runs in a season with 56 home runs in 2003. Shim Jeong-soo hit 53 homers in 2003, but unfortunately, he only finished second.
Park Byeong-ho (KT) hit the 50 home run mark in 2014 and 2015 during his time at Nexen. Park Byeong-ho is the only player in the KBO league to hit 50 homers for two consecutive years.
What do coach Lee Seung-yeop and Park Byeong-ho look like in the eyes of Josh Lindblom, who won the regular season MVP with a record of 20 wins and 3 losses (2.50 ERA) in 2019.
Lindblom, who announced his retirement in January, picked coach Lee Seung-yeop as the player who gave him the most trouble while playing in the KBO League through a live chat with the American sports media ‘MLB Trade Rumors’ on the 2nd (Korean time).
“There were many great hitters in Korea. But ‘Lion King’ Lee Seung-yeop always gave me a hard time. The best hitter in KBO history,” said Lindblom.
When asked by a Minnesota Twins fan, ‘Have you ever dealt with Park Byung-ho? He had a great personality before a great baseball player.”
In the confrontation with Lindblom, Park displayed a strong batting average of 3.57 (10 hits in 28 at-bats), 3 homers, 6 RBIs and 6 runs scored. 메이저사이트
Meanwhile, Lindblom, who was nominated by the Los Angeles Dodgers with the 61st overall pick in the second round of the 2008 draft, debuted with the Dodgers in 2011 and then played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Milwaukee. He pitched in 134 major league games (209 innings), recording 7 wins, 12 losses and 1 save. His earned run average was 4.78.
The most spectacular moment in his career was during his time in Korea. Playing for Lotte in 2015-2017 and Doosan in 2018-2019, he recorded 63 wins, 34 losses, an average ERA of 3.55 and 750 strikeouts in 130 games (823⅓ innings) over 5 years in the KBO League. In particular, in 2019, 30 games (194⅔ innings), 20 wins, 3 losses, an average ERA of 2.50 and 189 strikeouts, leading Doosan to win the championship, ranking first in wins, innings and strikeouts, and second in average ERA.
Lindblom, who swept the MVP and Golden Gloves after the season, used his success in Korea as a stepping stone to his return to the major leagues. He signed a three-year, $9.125 million, multi-year contract with Milwaukee in December 2019.
However, he was sluggish in 2020 with an average ERA of 5.16 in 12 games (45⅓ innings), 2 wins and 4 losses, and in 2021, he collapsed with an average ERA of 9.72 in 8 games (16⅔ innings). At the end of May, after the nomination (DFA), there was no team he wanted, so he changed to Triple A Nashville Sounds under Milwaukee.
Lindblom, who became a minor leaguer again, spent a full season at Triple-A last year. He went 9-7 with a 4.05 earned run average and 133 strikeouts in 26 games (133⅓ innings), not bad, but no big league call-ups.
His three-year contract with Milwaukee ended and he became a free agent after the season, but he was not called by another team and announced his retirement.