Hanwha Eagles manager looks to quench thirst for title with new club

Hanwha Eagles manager looks to quench thirst for title with new club

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The Hanwha Eagles and their new manager, Kim Kyung-moon, have at least this in common: They are

both hungry for a championship.

The Eagles have won just one Korean baseball title in their history, beating the Lotte Giants in the 1999

Korean Series. During his illustrious managerial career, Kim made four trips to the Korean Series with two

different clubs — three times with the Doosan Bears and once with the NC Dinos — and he was the losing

manager each time.

Now the oldest manager in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) at 65, Kim said Monday he would love

nothing more than to end the drought with the Eagles.

"While I was away for the past several years, I could only think of all the disappointments I've had in my

career. And you guys all know what they are," Kim said with a wry smile during his introductory press

conference at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, some 140 kilometers south of Seoul. He was named

the Eagles' new manager Sunday evening.

"For me, finishing in second place all those years really hurt," Kim said, looking back. "I would love to win

a championship here with the Hanwha Eagles and our fans. I want to start playing winning baseball and

build us into a team that opponents fear."

Kim, who signed a three-year contract worth 2 billion won ($1.45 million), will make his Eagles debut

Tuesday evening against the KT Wiz in Suwon, 30 kilometers south of Seoul.

Kim hasn't managed in the KBO since June 2018, though he did manage the Korean national team at the

Tokyo Olympics in 2021. He is best known for leading Korea to the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing

Olympics.

Kim now faces an uphill climb to pull the Eagles out of the bottom third of the league standings.

The Eagles rose to first place at the end of March, thanks to a seven-game winning streak. Since April 1,

however, they have the worst record in the KBO at 17-31-1 (wins-losses-ties). Overall, they are in eighth

place now at 24-32-1, 4.5 games out of the fifth and final postseason spot. They have dropped three

straight games.

"Our immediate goal is to get back to .500 in winning percentage and to try to make the postseason," Kim

said when asked if he would try to win the Korean Series title this year. "Once we accomplish that, then we

will start thinking about our next steps. Even though we are a little behind in the standings, I think we

have the strength to bounce back."

Kim's predecessor, Choi Won-ho, stepped down last Monday to take the fall for the team's struggles. Choi

had signed a three-year contract in May last year to replace Carlos Subero, who was in the midst of the

final year of his own three-year deal when he was fired in May 2023.

The two managers that had come before Subero, Han Yong-duk and Kim Sung-keun, were both fired

before their contracts were up.

Kim Kyung-moon said he understands the pressure that comes with managing the Eagles, a team with a

famously passionate fan base and demanding 토토 ownership.

"As managers, we all want to stay on as long as we can, but if we don't win enough games, then we have to

accept our fate and leave with consequences," Kim said. "I am not necessarily feeling pressure. I just want

to take it one game at a time and enjoy the process with my players and coaching staff."

Kim has spent most of the past six years in the United States, where he said he learned about evolving

trends in Major League Baseball. Without going into specifics, Kim said he was looking forward to

applying his lessons to the Eagles while also incorporating existing qualities within the team.

Kim also said he was encouraged by the growth of talented young pitchers and infielders for the Eagles but

added he will also start giving veterans more chances to play.

Throughout his managerial career, Kim has been famous for sticking with slumping veterans and showing

them faith when everyone else called for lineup changes. Those moves created some dramatic moments

when they paid off, and Kim said he wasn't about to change his style.

"I am going to stay that way," Kim said. "We have about 80 games left this season. I will trust my players

and give them all the time they need."

Kim has so far managed in 1,700 regular-season games and won 896 of them, ranking sixth all time in

both categories.

Fair or not, Kim previously carried a reputation as an old-school manager who shunned advanced

statistics and had difficulty connecting with young players. The charismatic manager said he will "try

harder than I did in the past" to communicate with young athletes.

"Depending on the situation, I will try to be their big brother or their fatherlike figure," Kim said. "I want

to make sure all the players will feel comfortable on the field."

The Eagles finished in last place or second-to-last place every year from 2019 to 2023. Between 2008 and

2023, they reached the postseason only once — in 2018.

They came into the 2024 season under high expectations, having added some veteran pieces to surround a

young core. The Eagles made by far their biggest splash in February this year when they signed former

major league All-Star Ryu Hyun-jin.

Ryu first pitched for the Eagles from 2006 to 2012, during which he was among the most dominant

starters in the KBO. The left-hander spent the next 11 years in Major League Baseball before rejoining the

Eagles this spring.

Ryu was viewed as a franchise savior, but he has not yet lived up to his considerable preseason hype. He is

3-4 with a 4.50 ERA in 11 starts and missed his last scheduled start Friday due to discomfort in his left

elbow.

Ryu started South Korea's gold medal game against Cuba at the 2008 Olympics with Kim at the helm. The

two had a photo-op before Kim's presser Monday, along with Eagles captain Chae Eun-seong.

Though Kim hadn't had a chance to speak with Ryu, other than exchanging pleasantries, the new manager

already had a message for Ryu and the rest of the team.

"One player cannot win games in baseball. It takes teamwork," Kim said. "I've told the players that, since

we're in a difficult situation, each and every one of them has to come together as a team and take it step by

step."

Though new managers often bring their own lieutenants to rebuild the coaching staff, Kim said he will not

make any changes to the current group of Eagles coaches.

"These coaches have been with the players all season, and since we're nearing the midway point of the

season, I didn't want to shake things up and cause any more disturbances," Kim said. "I will finish up the

season with the coaches that are here now."

Kim said he is aware of the Eagles' shortcomings but added, "This team is hurting right now, and I would

rather not discuss anything negative here."

It was six years ago to date that Kim resigned as the Dinos manager. When asked about the coincidence,

Kim said he'd only found out about it from a text message from a friend earlier Monday.

"I was really surprised. I suppose you can't force that to happen if you tried," Kim said, laughing.

 

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