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The third year in Japanese pro baseball for Korean slugger Lee Seung-yeop (Yomiuri Giants) has seen his rebirth as a giant in the regional leagues. The athlete's 29 homeruns so far this season have put him at the front of both leagues. In the Central League, he is tops for slugging average (.644) and runs scored (70), while his batting average (.326) is third in league, his base hits (109) second, and number of RBIs (64) in fourth place.
There are several reasons for Lee¡¯s success. First, he built up his strength by way of winter training. Through steady muscle building exercises he went from 90 kg to 95 kg. But his new home stadium, the Tokyo Dome, also played a part. Experts say the rising currents in the stadium help to keeps balls afloat once they get off the bat and reducing the need for excessive swings.
In contrast to the Chiba Marine Stadium, where the winds off the ocean are strong, that makes more precise hits possible. Of Lee¡¯s 29 homeruns in the first half of the season, 22 came during dome games, including 16 scored with an average length of 120 m. With his increased power and precise timing, Lee has been playing better ball.
Taking the field as the 70th Yomiuri player with the number 4 on his back has also given the slugger greater confidence. Even when he fell into a slump in April, he did not lose all the confidence Coach Tatsunori Hara gave him. "Coach Hara told me, 'a no. 4 batter never bows his head even if he gets struck out.¡¯ He's the greatest coach I've ever had,¡± Lee says.
In his days with Lotte, Lee was weak against left-handed pitchers, so sometimes he did not even make it onto the roster, but these days, he has a sound batting average against lefties. He dealt with his weakness of stepping back for a high inside ball instead of taking the hit, and he has also increased his skill for returning outside balls. Once he was the subject of analysis by other teams; now he thoroughly researches opposing pitchers.
The athlete told Japan¡¯s Sports Hochi daily he would be happy if he could make it to 40 homeruns this season. If he continues the roll he is on now, even 50 looks possible. The record of "the people's slugger" Hideki Matsui immediately prior to being picked up by the Majors was 0.334 with 50 homeruns and 107 RBIs, after which he said there was nothing left for him to accomplish in Japan and signed a three-year US$21 million contract with the NY Yankees. Lee will be a free agent at the end of the season, and many predict he would not fetch a great deal less.
But Lee has hinted he is happy in Yomiuri uniform, saying "Here I can do my baseball." Yomiuri is already rumored to be preparing for high-stakes bidding to keep the Korean for next year. If his winning streak continues through the rest of the season, it looks as if he will have to make a hard decision.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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