Kim Young-deok, a former manager who led the OB Bears when it won the championship title in the first year of South Korea’s professional baseball league, died at the age of 87 on Saturday, his family said.
Kim’s health had deteriorated over the past few years, and he had been recently hospitalized as he felt dizzy, his family said, adding he died Saturday without having found the exact cause of the symptom.
Born in Japan in 1936, Kim was a pitcher for the Nankai Hawks of the Japanese professional league from 1956-63, before coming to South Korea in 1964 and joining a semi-professional league here.
When South Korea launched its six-team professional baseball league in 1982, he was appointed as manager of the OB Bears and led the team to win the championship title in the year.
The OB Bears was renamed the Doosan Bears in 1999, as its owner changed.
Source: Yonhap News Agency