Hong Sung-heon
| Hong Sung-heon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| debut as catcher. retired as Designated hitter | |||
| Born: February 28, 1977 | |||
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| KBO debut | |||
| 1999, for the Doosan Bears | |||
| Last KBO appearance | |||
| August 9, 2016, for the Doosan Bears | |||
| KBO statistics (through 2016 season) |
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| Batting average | .301 | ||
| Home runs | 208 | ||
| RBI | 1,120 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
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| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's Baseball | ||
Representing  South Korea
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2000 Sydney | Team |
Hong Sung-heon (Hangul: 홍성흔, Hanja: 洪性炘; born February 28, 1977 in Hoengseong County, Gangwon-do, South Korea) is a former South Korean designated hitter. He batted and threw right-handed.
Hong was a catcher, and had been regularly called up to the South Korea national baseball team as a starting catcher until he was converted to a designated hitter in 2007.
In June 1998, as a senior at Kyung Hee University, Hong got his first call-up to the South Korea national baseball team for the 4-Nation Friendly Baseball Championship in Kobe, Japan.
In July 1998, Hong participated in the 1998 Baseball World Cup. South Korea eventually claimed the silver medal two times in a row, and as a starting catcher he led the team attack alongside cleanup hitter Choi Hee-seop and Park Han-yi.
In November 1998, Hong was called up to the South Korean national team for the 1998 Asian Games, which included professional players for the first time ever. He was the only amateur catcher on the roster.
Hong was drafted by the Doosan Bears in the first round of the KBO Draft after graduating from Kyung Hee University in 1999. In his first season, he batted a respectable .258 with 16 home runs and 63 RBI, and earned the starting position behind the plate in the Bears. Hong ended up earning KBO Rookie of the Year Award honors, becoming the first Bear since Yoon Suk-Hwan in 1984 to win the award.
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