In 1995, the year he turned 19, he joined the Samsung Lions as a pitcher but switched to hitting after his batting talent was recognized, and he hit 13 home runs in his first season.
The breakthrough yearThe year he turned 21, he took the home run, RBI and hits titles with a .329 average, 32 home runs and 114 RBIs, and was named regular-season MVP for the first time.
In 1998, he hit 38 home runs but lost the MVP and home run title to Tyrone Woods in the first year foreign hitters were allowed. In 1999, he hit .323 with 54 home runs, the first 50-homer season in the KBO, set the record as the youngest to 40 home runs and won a second MVP. In 2000, he hit a go-ahead two-run double in the bronze medal game against Japan at the Sydney Olympics and won the bronze medal. In 2001, he hit 39 home runs, won back the home run title and took a third MVP.
In 2002, he hit 47 home runs with 126 RBIs and was MVP for a second straight year. In 2003, he hit 56 home runs, a new Asian single-season record, and took a third straight and fifth MVP. That December he agreed to a deal with Japan’s Chiba Lotte Marines.
In 2004, he started as cleanup hitter for the Chiba Lotte Marines on opening day in Japan and hit 14 home runs that season. In 2005, he hit 30 home runs, including three that helped Chiba Lotte win the Japan Series. In 2006, he moved to the Yomiuri Giants and hit .323 with 41 home runs, and in March he hit a come-from-behind two-run homer against Japan in the eighth inning at the first WBC and became its first home run leader. In 2007, he again topped 30 home runs for a third straight year in Japanese pro baseball.
In August 2008, he hit go-ahead homers in both the Beijing Olympic semifinal against Japan and the final against Cuba and won the gold medal. In 2009, he hit only .229 but won another Japan Series with Yomiuri.
In December 2010, he moved to the Orix Buffaloes. In December 2011, he returned to his old team, the Samsung Lions, after eight years. In 2012, he hit a three-RBI triple in Game 6 of the Korean Series to lead the team to the title and was named Korean Series MVP for the first time.
In 2013, he played at the WBC, where the national team was eliminated in the first round, and retired from the national team after the tournament. In September 2016, he hit his 600th career home run in Korean and Japanese pro baseball. On Oct. 3, 2017, he played his retirement game against Nexen in Daegu. He left a KBO League career of .302 with 467 home runs, 1,498 RBIs and 10 Golden Gloves.
In October 2022, he became manager of the Doosan Bears. In 2023, his first year, he led the team to fifth place, but it lost in the wild card game. In 2024, he led the team to fourth place, but it lost again in the wild card game. In June 2025, he resigned of his own accord, taking responsibility for poor results. In November he became first-team hitting coach of Japan’s Yomiuri Giants. In February 2026, as a Yomiuri coach, he played a practice game against his old team Samsung.
Lee Seung-yuop (born Oct 11, 1976) joined the Samsung Lions in 1995, the year he turned 19, and became known on Oct 2, 1997, the year he turned 21, when he won his first regular-season MVP. On Oct 2, 2003, the year he turned 27, he hit his 56th home run, a new Asian single-season record.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.