Song Ji-Man
Encyclopedia
Song Ji-Man (born March 2, 1973 in Incheon
, South Korea
) is a South Korea
n outfielder
for the Seoul Heroes in the Korea Baseball Organization
professional baseball league. He bats and throws right-handed.
in Incheon
, Song made himself eligible for the 1996 KBO Draft and was selected in the second round by the Hanwha Eagles.
In , Song joined his first 20-20 club
and became a member of the Korean Series
championship team. In , he joined his second 20-20 club, batting a career-high .338 and having his first 30+ home run season (32), and won his first Golden Glove Award after the season.
In , Song posted career-highs in home run
s (38) and RBI
(104), and won his second Golden Glove Award. However, Song was hampered by arm injuries during the whole season, batting only .253 and hitting a career-low 9 home runs.
in March .
ran into financial problems, and they eventually abandoned the Unicorns in . The team was sold and became the Heroes. After a series of fire sales for the Unicorns' best players and franchises in the 2007 offseason, The Heroes kept attempting to trade Song for another big deal. However, prior the season, Song announced that he would stay in the Heroes, accepting a 60 % salary cut offered by the team. In 2008, Song batted .280, accumulating 13 home runs and 62 RBI. On April 20, 2008, he hit his 250th home run, which was the 9th record in KBO league's history.
In , Song had an offensively productive season again, batting .289 and posting 22 home runs and 67 RBI. On May 19, 2009, he had his 1700th hit in his career, which was the 5th record in the KBO pro league's history.
Incheon
The Incheon Metropolitan City is located in northwestern South Korea. The city was home to just 4,700 people when Jemulpo port was built in 1883. Today 2.76 million people live in the city, making it Korea’s third most populous city after Seoul and Busan Metropolitan City...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
) is a South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
for the Seoul Heroes in the Korea Baseball Organization
Korea Baseball Organization
The Korea Baseball Organization is the governing body for the professional leagues of baseball in South Korea. KBO should not be confused with the Korea Professional Baseball League. KBO was founded in 1981 and has been governing two leagues, Korea Professional Baseball and Futures League since...
professional baseball league. He bats and throws right-handed.
Hanwha Eagles
Upon graduation from Inha UniversityInha University
Inha University is a private, co-educational university located in Incheon, South Korea. It is owned by Hanjin Group.Inha University was established by the first president of South Korea, Syngman Rhee. It is a Korean-American collaboration school, even in its name: the Morpheme "In" comes from the...
in Incheon
Incheon
The Incheon Metropolitan City is located in northwestern South Korea. The city was home to just 4,700 people when Jemulpo port was built in 1883. Today 2.76 million people live in the city, making it Korea’s third most populous city after Seoul and Busan Metropolitan City...
, Song made himself eligible for the 1996 KBO Draft and was selected in the second round by the Hanwha Eagles.
In , Song joined his first 20-20 club
30-30 club
The 30–30 club is a grouping of Major League Baseball players who have reached the 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases plateaus in the same season....
and became a member of the Korean Series
Korean Series
The Korean Series is the championship series of the Korea Baseball Organization. It has been held since the KBO's first season in and is the final series of in the post-season play-offs. From , the winner of the Korean Series goes on to play in the Asia Series....
championship team. In , he joined his second 20-20 club, batting a career-high .338 and having his first 30+ home run season (32), and won his first Golden Glove Award after the season.
In , Song posted career-highs in home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s (38) and RBI
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
(104), and won his second Golden Glove Award. However, Song was hampered by arm injuries during the whole season, batting only .253 and hitting a career-low 9 home runs.
Hyundai Unicorns
After the 2003 season, Song was traded to the Hyundai Unicorns. In , he smacked 22 home runs and drove in 74 runs, and led his team to their last Korean Series champion. In , Song had another solid season in the Unicorns, batting a respectable .271 and amassing 24 home runs and 74 RBI. After the 2005 season, he was selected as a member of the South Korea national baseball team and competed in the inaugural World Baseball Classic2006 World Baseball Classic
---------Pool B:-------------Pool C:-------------Pool D:-------------Pool 1:-----------------Pool 2:-------------Finals:-Semifinals:-Final:-Final standings:...
in March .
Heroes
In the early 2000s Hyundai GroupHyundai Group
Hyundai Group is a South Korean conglomerate founded by Chung Ju-yung. The first company in the group was founded in 1947 as a construction company. With government assistance, Chung and his family members rapidly expanded into various industries, eventually becoming South Korea's second biggest...
ran into financial problems, and they eventually abandoned the Unicorns in . The team was sold and became the Heroes. After a series of fire sales for the Unicorns' best players and franchises in the 2007 offseason, The Heroes kept attempting to trade Song for another big deal. However, prior the season, Song announced that he would stay in the Heroes, accepting a 60 % salary cut offered by the team. In 2008, Song batted .280, accumulating 13 home runs and 62 RBI. On April 20, 2008, he hit his 250th home run, which was the 9th record in KBO league's history.
In , Song had an offensively productive season again, batting .289 and posting 22 home runs and 67 RBI. On May 19, 2009, he had his 1700th hit in his career, which was the 5th record in the KBO pro league's history.
Notable international careers
| Year | Venue | Competition | Team | Individual Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Intercontinental Cup Intercontinental Cup (baseball) The Intercontinental Cup is a baseball tournament between the members of the International Baseball Federation . It was first held in 1973 in Italy, and was held every other year following until 1999.... |
 |
.214 BA (6-for-28), 8 RBI | |
| 2006 | World Baseball Classic 2006 World Baseball Classic ---------Pool B:-------------Pool C:-------------Pool D:-------------Pool 1:-----------------Pool 2:-------------Finals:-Semifinals:-Final:-Final standings:... |
 |
.400 BA (2-for-5) | |