Lee, nicknamed "Hulk" and "Babe Ruth of Korea" for his power and home run ability, was a full-time catcher and first baseman for 16 seasons with the Samsung Lions, hitting 252 home runs and knocking in 861 RBIs during his career. In 1983, he won his first home run title and was named league MVP, and the next year became the league's first triple crown winner as the leader in three major offensive categories ― home runs (23), runs batted in (80) and batting average (.340).