Bereaved Slugger Ready to Begin Again

Lee Seung-yeop (31, Yomiuri Giants) is set to start training again.

The slugger’s mother died on January 6 and the funeral service was completed with the coffin carried out of the funeral home on January 8. Lee said on Sunday, “Mother would also want me to start training again as soon as possible. I would like to resume training right after the funeral service.” But his family and friends advised him to take a rest through Monday, which he did.

Lee made a call to a fitness club in Daegu, which he uses while in Korea, on Tuesday to inform them he wanted to restart training and he went to the club to see if he was ready to do so. Finding his body was ready to take training, he decided to return to his training routine starting Wednesday.

The director of the fitness club said, “Seung-yeop is always very determined to train. After three or four days of intensive training, I’m sure he will be back to his normal condition.”

Lee is expected to continue training in Daegu and to join the SK Wyverns’ spring training camp on January 23 as scheduled. The training camp will be held in Kochi prefecture, Shikoku, Japan. The Korean slugger told Kim Sung-keun, the head coach of Wyverns, that he appreciates to join the camp. Kim told the slugger, “Take your time and try to return to your normal shape until the camp begins.”

uni@donga.com