KBO President Heo Heo-yeon, who led the baseball boom, was selected for the Ilgu Award… “He properly demonstrated his role as the leader of professional baseball.”

[OSEN=울산, 이석우 기자] KBO President Heo Heo-yeon 169 2024.10.29 / foto0307@osen.co.kr

[OSEN=손찬익 기자] Ilgu Association (Chairman Kwang-soo Kim), a Korean professional baseball OB group, held a selection committee for the winners of the ‘2024 Nutr D Day Ilgu Award’ and selected the Ilgu recipients.

The recipient of the honorable pitch award was Heo Heo-yeon, president of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). President Heo Heo-yeon played baseball for Hanil Bank after attending Gyeongnam High School and Korea University, and also gained leadership experience by becoming the coach of the Cheongbo Pintos in 1986. In addition, with the launch of professional baseball, he was selected as a commentator for MBC and held the microphone until 2021, and was called ‘Korea’s Vin Scully’ for his extensive baseball knowledge and friendly commentary. Then, in March 2022, he became the first baseball player to be appointed KBO president, leading the golden age of the KBO league.

Just as he worked hard to establish baseball terminology and improve infrastructure during his time as a commentator, he continued to innovate even after becoming KBO president. In particular, this year, several systems were introduced, such as an automatic pitch judgment system, defensive shift restrictions, and base size expansion, which became the foundation for opening the ’10 million audience era’ for the first time in history.

[OSEN=최규한 기자] ABS strikeout call. 2024.05.23 / dreamer@osen.co.kr

The automatic pitch judgment system captured the hearts of the MZ generation, which values ​​fairness. Since his time as a commentator, he has worked hard to expand and improve baseball stadium infrastructure, which has led to the expansion of female fans by targeting women as a space for cost-effective leisure activities.

In addition, a three-year contract with TVING for wired and wireless broadcasting rights worth KRW 135 billion (KRW 45 billion per year) was signed. This is the largest amount in Korean sports history, and it is expected that all 10 clubs will record a surplus as it will be a huge boost to the club’s finances. TVING made it possible for fans to use short videos, which made professional baseball a ‘thing to enjoy.’

In other words, it opened the era of industrialization of professional baseball, a long-held dream of Korean baseball. This was possible because, as a long-time commentator, he knows well what fans want, and he also has administrative experience, including as chairman of the KBO Baseball Development Committee. Kim Kwang-soo, president of the Ilgu Association, said about the reason why President Heo Heo-yeon was selected as the Ilgu Grand Prize, saying, “Rather than making decisions at the desk, President Heo showed the determination to understand the field and tackle the fundamental system,” adding, “This is what the head of the KBO leading Korean baseball must do.” “It showed well what the role is.”

[OSEN=울산, 김성락 기자] On the afternoon of the 14th, a welcome reception event was held to commemorate the opening of the ‘2024 Ulsan-KBO Fall League’ at Lotte Hotel in Nam-gu, Ulsan. Ulsan-KBO Fall League is a level-up project to strengthen the competitiveness of Korean baseball. In the educational league, which was previously held mainly for domestic teams, the Softbank 3rd team from Japan’s NPB, the Mexican League Union team (Team LMB), Jiangsu Hughes Holts from China’s CBA, and the Cuban national team (Team Cuba) will participate. A total of 9 teams, including 5 domestic teams including LG, Goyang, NC, Lotte, and Independent League All-Stars, participated for approximately 2 weeks at Ulsan Munsu Stadium and Gijang KBO Baseball Center from October 15th (Tuesday) to 29th (Tuesday). The game is held. Ulsan Mayor Kim Doo-gyeom and KBO President Heo Heo-yeon are cutting the cake. 2024.10.14 / ksl0919@osen.co.kr

The ‘2024 Nutr D Day Ilgu Award’ award ceremony, in which President Heo Heo-yeon was selected as the grand prize winner, will be held at the Versailles Hall on the 3rd floor of the Riviera Hotel in Seoul from 11 a.m. on the 10th of next month. It will be broadcast live nationwide through the IB Sports Channel and Naver. In addition, the winners of nine categories, including the best hitter and best pitcher, of the ‘2024 Nutri D Day Ilball Award’ are scheduled to be announced around mid-November. /what@osen.co.kr

Son Chan-ik (foto0307@osen.co.kr)

2024-11-11 01:06:00