KBO 40 Legends: Comeback kings

Baseball

Published: 20 Sep. 2022, 20:05 Updated: 21 Sep. 2022, 10:02

KBO 40 Legends: Comeback kings

Clockwise from top left: Lee Sang-hoon, Park Jung-tae, Bae Young-soo and Dustin Nippert. [KBO]

The KBO on Monday announced the final four members of the league’s “40 Legend” team, a round-up of the top 40 KBO players of all time that has been slowly compiled since the All-Star game in July.

Players were chosen for the 40-man squad from a list of 177 candidates, including all former Golden Glove and Korean Series MVP winners, as well as any pitchers who had recorded 800 appearances with 100 wins, 150 saves and at least one 20-win season and any batters who had appeared in 2,000 games, hit 200 home runs, 2,000 hits and had at least one 40-home run season.

All active players, including those playing overseas, were excluded.

The KBO's comeback kings recovered from potentially career-ending industries to rise back to the top of the game, often going on to set new records or adapt to entirely different playing styles.

Lee Sang-hoon

Southpaw Lee became the first left-hander to win 20 games in the KBO with the LG Twins in 1995 and remains the only pitcher in the league to have won 20 games as a starter and saved 30 games as a closer.

Lee Sang-hoon [KBO]

Park Jung-tae

Lotte Giants career man Park came back from a potentially career-ending ankle injury in the early 1990s to hit a .337 season in 1995 and then manage a 31-game hitting streak in 1999, tying the league record at the time.

Park Jung-tae [KBO]

Dustin Nippert

Known as the Jesus of Seoul, Nippert spent seven seasons with the Doosan Bears and led the club to a Korean Series win in 2015. He left the KBO with 102 wins and 1,082 strikeouts, both records for foreign pitchers.

Dustin Nippert [KBO]

Bae Young-soo

Samsung Lions starter Bae was a power pitcher with three Korean Series wins until elbow surgery derailed his career in 2007. He changed his entire approach on the mound and went on to win four more championship rings.