It went straight to the semi-playoff by ranking third in the league with 76 wins, three draws and 65 losses, but unfortunately ended the fall baseball with three losses against fourth-ranked NC (75 wins, two draws and 67 losses).
The aftermath of the team’s hopeless defeat in the semi-playoff was severe. Coach Kim Won-hyung, who renewed his contract for a total of 2.2 billion won (2.3 million U.S. dollars) for three years during the Korean Series last year, has two years left on his contract but will leave his team. The new coach will be Lee Sung-yong, head of KT’s nurturing team.
At a time when the team’s confusion could be put to rest by the appointment of head coach Lee Sung-yong, another incident caused anger among fans. In the second draft held on the 22nd of last month, franchise star Kim Kang-min was not included in the 35-member protection list, but Hanwha made the move when it was selected.
SSG started to deal with it belatedly, but it was eventually settled that Kim Kang-min will play for Hanwha starting next year. When franchise star Kim Kang-min, who was discussed about his permanent number, left the team in vain, Kim Sung-yong resigned as the head of the R&D center on the 25th of last month, taking responsibility for the situation, and voluntarily resigned on the 29th to leave the team.
Kim Jae-hyun, who was appointed as the new leader, was responsible for resolving the confusion. Kim was a star player who played for SK (now SSG) from 2005 to 2010 and won the Korean Series three times. After retiring from active duty, he served as a hitting coach for the Korean national team with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Yomiuri Giants, and Hanwha Eagles, and worked in various fields, including baseball commentator, KBO technical committee member, and LG Twins power-enhancing coordinator.
Kim Jae-hyun and Lee Sung-yong, who will work together in the SSG, never played in the same team when they were active players. However, both Kim and Lee made their debut in 1994, and Kim retired from active duty in 2010, and Lee played in the KBO league together for most of their careers. “I had a telephone conversation with Lee once. We talked about making our team in a better direction,” Kim said.
“I met Lee Sung-yong in Iksan this year,” said manager Kim Jae-hyun, who said, “I had an interview with him about a baseball player I wanted to work with around June. At that time, Lee pointed fingers at Kim Ki-tae and me. So I remember we just talked about that among ourselves. When I contacted him as the head of the team, he said, “I guess you’re supposed to meet someone you want to meet.” “He’s a bit manly and I have that personality, so I think it would create a better synergy effect with him,” he said, looking forward to his good chemistry with Lee.
In order to support Lee, it is important to complete the renewal of contract with internal FA catcher Kim Min-sik and foreign hitter Guillermo Heredia as soon as possible. “First of all, we are focusing on renewing contract with Kim Min-sik. I understand that foreign hitter contracts are also making progress. I think we will hear good news soon,” Kim said.
Although many things happened after the end of the season, SSG ranked third in this season’s performance. This means that the team is capable of challenging to win the Korean Series title in the next season.
“We definitely have the DNA to win the championship. Since we performed well even in a difficult environment, I think we will be able to show good performances next year if we make up for what we felt sorry for this year,” Kim Jae-hyun, the team’s general manager, said, promising good performances next season.안전놀이터 추천