Veteran manager staying humble in long-awaited return to KBO
Veteran manager staying humble in long-awaited return to KBO
Blog Article
Kim Kyung-moon has managed 1,700 games in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) and won 896 of
them, putting him sixth on the all-time rankings in both categories.
Kim, named manager of the Hanwha Eagles on Sunday, has seen plenty and done plenty in this league. At
65, he is also the oldest manager in the KBO.
However, as he prepared to make his KBO return Tuesday after six years away, Kim didn't claim to have
all the answers.
"I may have been in this game a long time, but baseball is a humbling game. You have to stay grounded,"
Kim told about two dozen reporters at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, some 30 kilometers south of Seoul, before
the Eagles faced the KT Wiz. "I obviously don't know everything. Once I am at a ballpark, I have to stay
humble, and do the best I can with my players and coaches. Once you think you have it all figured out,
you'll never get the results you want in baseball."
With the Eagles trying to make their first postseason since 2018, Kim has been brought in as the new
captain to right the wobbly ship. After reaching first place at the end of March, the Eagles have been the
worst team in the KBO since April 1. They are currently in eighth place in the 10-team league at 24-32-1
(wins-losses-ties).
The Eagles have been in a rebuild for years, with high draft picks not reaching their potential and veterans
acquired to augment the young roster failing to live up to their hefty contracts.
Kim, who had a strong track record of unearthing gems in his previous managerial stops, said he was
excited to work with the Eagles' young talent.
"I'd only watched this team play a bit, and I got to see these players practice for the first time today. And I
could see some really good young players," Kim said. "I can confidently tell you that we have a bright
future. I've already seen a lot of players with strong qualities."
Kim said he is willing to be patient as his youngsters 메이저 experience growing pains.
"For inexperienced players, playing in games is the only way to gain experience. And if they show promise,
then I can live with their mistakes and wait for them to get better," Kim said. "I don't want to reach any
quick decision on these young players. I think there are more promising young players here than I initially
thought. So I was really pleased with what I saw today."
Kim said he'd like to see the Eagles run more. They came into Tuesday ranked ninth among 10 KBO teams
with 30 steals. Jo Soo-haeng of the Doosan Bears leads the KBO with 28 steals by himself.
Following in the footsteps of Major League Baseball, the KBO enlarged the bases this year, from 15 square
inches to 18 square inches, to encourage more action on base paths.
"With larger bases, all the other teams are stealing more, but we are near the bottom. That has to change,"
Kim said. "Contending teams are running quite a bit. So I will have to give fast players more chances to
play and see if they can deliver."
Kim noted that so much had changed in the KBO since he'd last managed in 2018. During pregame scrums
in Kim's days, reporters used to scribble things down on notepads. Today, they stick their smartphones in
managers' faces to record pregame chats.
"You guys all used to write down stuff. What's gotten into you?" Kim cracked. "We have to win games, and
now have to watch what we say even more."
In another change, teams are now required to submit their starting lineups the night before each game.
Back in his days, Kim would watch the batting practice or fielding drills before settling on the lineup.
"I guess I have to follow the rules now," Kim said. "There are pros and cons to this change. Maybe
something can happen overnight to players and we'd be forced to change things up the morning of the
game. But if this is the direction we're going, then I have to adjust to it."
When told of his newfound flexibility, Kim said with a smile: "Of course, I have to change with time. I
don't want to be called a grumpy old man."
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