Kim Tae-hyung (55), the new manager of the Lotte Giants, who took a break from the world of fierce competition to become the captain of the Busan baseball team in the “ball city” of Gudo, was not shy. He didn’t hesitate to reveal his goal of winning a championship as if he wee pulling something out of his pocket. The three-time Korean Series champion with the Doosan Bears also said, “It’s not that easy to win a championship.” “I won the championship without fear (as Doosan manager in 2015),” Kim said at his inauguration ceremony at Lotte Hotel in Busan on Thursday. This time, I will also say here that winning the championship is my goal,” he declared.
“I want the players to be prepared. I want the players to prepare themselves.” When Kim first took over as manager of Doosan, he received a gift from the club in the form of free agent pitcher Jang Won-jun.Jang won 12 games in 2015, 15 in 2016, and 14 in 2017, helping to build the Doosan dynasty. This time, it will be interesting to see which player Lotte will prepare as an “inaugural gift. “It would be amazing to receive a total of 2.4 billion won ($2.4 million) for three years as an inauguration gift,” Kim said, adding, “I told him that the club needs players. The more players a coach has, the better. The club will decide for itself.” He also shared his honest thoughts on Lotte and NC’s ‘Nakdong River rivalry’.
NC, which has been in the first team since 2013, has become a perennial postseason contender, including winning the overall title in 2020.Lotte last won the Korean Series in 1992 and has only experienced fall baseball in 2017 since 2013.”If the club says, ‘You should care,’ then I will care, but if they don’t, I will play the same way,” Kim said coolly, referring to the rivalry between the two teams with pride on the line. He also shared his thoughts on Lotte’s season, which saw them jump out to an early lead before falling apart in the second half. “When we had a good start, we pushed to the point where we felt like we were ‘overwhelmed’. I think it would have been better if we had judged the game to a certain extent and made a move,” said Kim, who led the team to the Korean Series for the seventh consecutive year.
Still, he worked as a commentator for a season, adding a “spoonful” of gentleness and warmth. At Doosan, Kim used his charisma to sway the players. He didn’t need to say much to the younger players, just a glance conveyed all the meaning. “I felt sorry for the younger players when they made mistakes,” he says, “and I realized that it’s different to watch only your own team and watch multiple teams while commentating. I can’t say that the ballpark itself has changed, but I could feel it. “This shows that Kim is the kind of leader that Lotte, which has the 슬롯게이밍 most talented young players in the league, needs. For the fans, Kim is a gentle man.