Lee Seung-yuop returns to Japan as Yomiuri Giants hitting coach

Lee Seung-yuop, newly appointed hitting coach for the Yomiuri Giants, speaks with the JoongAng Ilbo ahead of his departure for Japan. [BAE YOUNG-EUN]

 
In 2006, Korean baseball fans were just as likely to follow Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) as they were KBO. That was the peak of Lee Seung-yuop’s career in Japan, where he batted cleanup as the 70th No. 4 hitter in the storied history of the Yomiuri Giants.  
 
At the time, his teammates — charismatic manager Tatsunori Hara, friendly-faced catcher Shinnosuke Abe and the swordlike slugger Michihiro Ogasawara — were as well known and respected in Korea as some of the country’s own stars.
 
 
Now, 20 years later in 2026, Lee is once again donning a Yomiuri Giants uniform — not as a player, but as a first-team hitting coach. He was personally recruited by Abe, now the Giants’ manager and a former teammate, to begin a new chapter in his coaching career in the NPB.
 
“To coach for a team like the Yomiuri Giants is a great honor for me,” Lee said in an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo. “This year, my focus will be on supporting Abe and helping the team achieve success.”
 

Lee Seung-yuop of the Yomiuri Giants, right, bumps fists with teammate Alex Ramirez after hitting a three-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning during a home game against the Hanshin Tigers in 2008. [SPORTS HOCHI]

 
Lee’s playing career was illustrious. As Korea’s national cleanup hitter, he was the hero of countless “eighth-inning miracles” and a symbol of towering home runs. But his coaching career has been a different story, marked by challenges.
 
He began managing the Doosan Bears in 2023 but never had the chance to lead a full-strength squad. Despite reaching the postseason two years in a row, the team was eliminated in the first round both times, drawing harsh criticism from fans. Lee ultimately stepped down midway through the final year of his contract on June 2, 2025. Accustomed to applause and accolades as a player, he described the following six months as “a time of reflection.”
 
“For a month or two, I rarely met anyone and mostly stayed home,” he said. “After returning the team vehicle, I walked everywhere with just a backpack. Once I got another car, I went back to my hometown in Daegu to reconnect with old friends and reflect not only on my time with the Bears, but on my life as a whole. It was a big experience for me.”
 

Lee Seung-yuop when he was a manager for the Doosan Bears in this undated file photo [NEWS1]

 
As a player, Lee believed in holding himself to high standards while being generous with others — a principle he tried to maintain as a manager. His philosophy was to let players perform freely on the field while taking full responsibility himself. But his experience with the Bears taught him a hard lesson: the roles of player and manager must differ.
 
“I’ve decided I need to be tougher going forward,” he said. “Even if it makes coaches or players a bit uncomfortable, I realized I need to be stricter, more curious and more vocal. If winning is the goal, then being more focused on results and addressing issues head-on is necessary. There was a real gap between the ideal leader I envisioned and the reality I faced.”
 
Still, Lee never stopped watching baseball. “There’s nothing I enjoy more,” he said. “I watched all five KBO games every day. Eventually, I realized I should start studying again, and that’s when I thought of Abe. I reached out, and that led to joining the Yomiuri Giants’ fall camp as a temporary coach.”
 
There, Lee found renewed excitement in the daily rhythms of coaching — planning batting drills, working face-to-face with players and offering guidance.  
 

Lee Seung-yuop, center, poses for a commemorative photo with his wife, left, and father in Daegu in 2003. [JOONGANG DB]

 
“I felt like I was starting from scratch,” he said. “Watching young players grow over those three weeks made time fly. It reminded me just how much I love baseball. Before I returned home, Abe offered me a full-time position, and I was grateful and motivated.”
 
The only thing that gave him pause was his ailing father, who had been bedridden for years. Lee Chun-gwang, the man who raised Korea’s home run king with passion and devotion, died on Dec. 2, 2025. Lee had already lost his mother in 2006.
 
“My father was a towering presence in my life — a source of strength,” Lee said. “Even though we couldn’t talk in recent years, just knowing he was there brought comfort. The grief is overwhelming. But pushing through that pain, I’ve grown. Now I want to be a stronger, prouder husband and father to my wife and three sons. With both of my parents gone, I’ll try to fill their absence by holding my head high and living with purpose.”
 

Lee Seung-yuop, right, with current Yomiuri Giants manager Shinnosuke Abe, during their playing days together in 2006. [JOONGANG DB]

 
Yomiuri Giants remains Japan’s most iconic baseball team, often referred to as the “national team” of Japanese baseball. It was once said that 70 percent of Japanese people were Giants fans. Though other clubs have since grown in popularity, Yomiuri Giants still boasts the most YouTube subscribers among global baseball teams — over 730,000 as of Jan. 15.
 
“When I played here, I was always told to remember that children are watching,” Lee recalled. “We were expected to carry ourselves with dignity, both on and off the field.”
Lee, who elevated his game during his years in Japan, now returns wearing the Giants’ uniform once again — this time to grow as a leader. In Korean baseball, his name remains a singular presence: meaningful, symbolic and beloved.
 
“Since I was a child, I dreamed of becoming a baseball player. Wearing a uniform is still what makes me happiest,” he said. “This year, I’ll do my best to fulfill my role at Yomiuri Giants. And someday, I hope I can give back to Korean baseball — even in a small way. Wherever I am, whatever I do, I’ll always be with baseball.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY BAE YOUNG-EUN [[email protected]]