Lee Man-soo (65), former professional baseball star and legendary catcher of the Samsung Lions, lived a second life as a baseball evangelist in Laos. In 2014, he went to Laos, a baseball wasteland, and founded a team, and now he is on track. The Laos baseball team is currently conducting field training in Korea at the invitation of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Baseball Softball Association.
Although he stepped down from the front line, Chairman Lee Man-soo’s affection for Laos still remains and he accompanies the training schedule in Korea. Chairman Lee Man-soo said, “It’s been a while since I’ve seen the players, and their skills have improved a lot. It seems that coach Kim Hyun-min taught them well. I’m very proud to see new players come in and their skills improve.”
For the Laos national team, this off-season training is an important time to prepare for the Asian Games in Hangzhou, which will be held in September. Laos also participated in the Asian Games in Jakarta in 2018, but was eliminated with two losses in the preliminary round.
In this Asian Games, the realistic goal is one win. To this end, Chairman Lee Man-soo made an unprecedented pledge.
Lee Man-soo, chairman of the board, said, “As we did in commemoration of SK’s sold-out home crowd in 2007, we promised that if Laos wins at the Asian Games, we will go around the Laos Presidential Palace wearing only shorts.” It’s burning,” he said.
There was also a special gift for Laos players at Jamsil Baseball Stadium, where Doosan’s home game was held on the 22nd. With the mediation of Chairman Lee Man-soo, Laotian players took over the first pitch in a professional baseball game. 스포츠토토
When asked why he chose Doosan for the first pitch out of 10 clubs, Chairman Lee Man-soo said, “Doosan coach Lee Seung-yeop is a junior he cherishes very much. That’s how the event came to pass.”
It wasn’t just a pitching event that was meant to create memories. Chairman Lee Man-soo lamented that when Laos players get older, they no longer have a sense of purpose and quit baseball. Seeing Jamsil Baseball Stadium full of spectators, I hoped that the players would have big dreams.
Laos player Tuh H, who was in charge of the first pitch, said, “I am grateful that the Korean people warmly welcomed me and encouraged us. My heart raced so much just to enter such a large stadium.”