The KIA Tigers won the combined championship.
KIA won 7-5 in Game 5 of the Korean Series (four wins out of seven) against the Samsung Lions at the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League held at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on Sunday. KIA won the championship trophy with four wins and one loss throughout the series.
It is the first time in seven years that Kia has won the title since 2017. It also lifted the trophy in Gwangju for the first time since 1987. Earlier, Kia had won a total of 11 Korean Series championships, mostly in away games or in Jamsil, a neutral stadium. Furthermore, the team clinched its first championship title at the Gwangju-Kia Champions Field, which opened in 2014.
In his first year at the helm, Lee acquired the title of “Winning Coach.” With his predecessor Kim Jong-kook dismissed due to controversy over bribery, Lee displayed his elder brother’s leadership to correct the chaotic situation in the team. Except for Yang, the starting lineup suffered line injuries but filled the gap to win the title of both the regular season and the Korean Series.
Kim Sun-bin won the MVP award of the Korean Series. Kim received 46 votes out of 99 votes cast by reporters, and was named MVP based on 46.5 percent of the vote. Kim had 10 hits in all of Games 1 to 5. He has a batting average of 0.588 (10 hits in 17 times at bat). He beat Kim by just one vote. Kim contributed greatly to KIA’s victory by hitting the grand slam in Game 4 of the Korean Series and hitting the finishing hit in Game 5. However, he lost the MVP by one vote.
The MVP of this season was Kim Do-young. In 141 games, Kim recorded a batting average of 0.347, on-base plus slugging percentage of 0.647 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 0.647 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 0.647 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 0.30-300 homers and 100 steals. Kim became the third player to set a new record after Park Jae-hong in 2000 and Eric Thames in 2015.
Lee’s sights are now set on the next season. Lee promised to build a strong and consistent team. He also pledged to let athletes who have never won a championship experience enjoy the joy of winning. He did not use the term “dynamic” as an expression. “This year is the end of the championship. I will not be arrogant and will step up,” Lee said.
The following is a question-and-answer session with director Lee Bum-ho.
-How do I feel about winning the Korean Series
Thank you so much. Since I took charge of the team, I had some very difficult times and some good moments. Still, I am very happy to win the title at the end. I also thank the players, the Kia fans who came to the baseball stadium, and all the people who cheered for me from afar. Although I won the title, I have just begun. I will prepare well again and stand here next year.
-When I first took charge of the team, the situation was not good. What was the expectation of winning
When I was in charge of the team, I thought I could win within two years. Our players had better abilities than other teams. I wanted to win the title. I think I got the result of hard work to achieve my goal. There are many young players in our team and veterans have good abilities. I will try to develop our team next year as well.
-I won the title as a player and as a coach. The difference is that
It’s definitely better to do it at home. We always won the championship on the road or in Seoul. There are many fans in Seoul, too. You often saw us winning. But not many Gwangju fans saw us winning. I wanted to show them winning at home. That’s the best.
-What did you think when you lost 5 points in the beginning and went down as starting pitcher Yang Hyun-jong
I thought I could win if I blocked the loss. There are not many Samsung pitchers. There were also injured players. I thought we could win if we blocked well from now on. I thought we could win if we added a must-win group. I had a chance, but I got two outs. There was a difficult situation. As a result of our best efforts, we were able to win.
-Looking back on the regular season, the most critical moment was
When starting pitchers were absent, it was the hardest time. In the case of fielders, one out of nine players is eliminated. As the batters were strong, injury can be avoided. However, starting pitchers are different. They had to throw 100 pitches and had to substitute starters for one or two games, which overloaded the bullpen. The moment when Kim Do-hyun and Hwang Dong-ha had to be included was difficult, Lee Eui-ri and Yoon Young-chul were sick, and James Nail was also excluded. I agonized a lot over starting pitchers. Thanks to other pitchers’ good contributions, I ranked first and won the regular season title.
-The MVP that I personally want to compliment is
Everyone did a good job. With Kim Do-young’s rapid growth, the entire team has changed. If Kim Do-young hadn’t come out, the young players’ depth would not have improved easily. Kim Do-young took a place in the infield, which created a synergy effect. The seniors also led the players well and became a good team. I hope young players like Kim Do-young will work harder. If good players come out every year, the team will be better. The biggest thing I am grateful for is that Kim Do-young has become a good player.
-The mound discovered Kwak Do-gyu, and if you compliment him
Young pitchers grew up one by one. Kwak Do-gyu, Yoon Young-cheol, Kim Do-hyeon, and Jeong Hae-young are all young players. They are players who are still growing. I believe they will do better in the future. I thought, “If Kwak Do-gyu grows up well in the must-win group, I will win the title.” I put him in a difficult situation from the opening game. He has a big liver. He has grown well and deployed good players in the middle.
-The starting lineup is important next year. The future of nail polish and the growth of Korean pitchers are also expected
They include Kim Do-hyun, Hwang Dong-ha and Yoon Young-chul. Since Yoon is not a serious injury, I think he will rotate the starting pitcher rotation well next season. Yang will also be okay if he manages the innings well. When Lee Eui-ri returns from June to July, he will have a good starting lineup. Our bullpen is also strong. If we have rookie players or good players in the Futures League, our team will become stronger.
-Kim Tae-gun missed the MVP by one vote
Was it just one vote away? Kim Tae-gun came to me and asked me if there was any MVP in the team. They mixed the balls well. Both Kim Tae-gun and Kim Sun-bin did a good job. They are MVP in my heart. I will comfort them and soothe them.
-I had no relationship with KIA before I signed with him as a player, but the difference from the first time I came here is that
I felt like I would come to KIA. When I played in Hanwha, I did well against KIA. Gwangju fans said, “My name is Tiger, why aren’t you coming to Gwangju?” I thought, “A better team could call me.” He came to such a good club, to me who was struggling and lonely in Japan. I remember the scouts at that time. Thank you to them. I came to KIA because of the front desk. I was able to win because of the coach. I will make a good team so that KIA players can grow into good players in the future. I will make a great team.
-I won my first year. My next goal is
When everyone started as a manager, I think they all had the goal of winning. In my 14 years at KIA, I thought that the way I have to go is to make a good team. I started my leadership career with the determination to go to training, learn well, and pass it on to this team. I am so honored to have won the championship in a year. I am so grateful. I am running with the goal of winning, but what we have to do is to see the players grow. I will create a team that wins again with players who have never won a championship. 메이저사이트
-How was Park Chan Ho
Some people don’t like Park Chan-ho’s play. Some players even touch the ground. However, not many players play every game like Park Chan-ho. A player who can play despite pain or suffering is the best. I think Park Chan-ho has the biggest bowl. His bad side will gradually disappear. I will help him play the baseball that Park wanted. I will make him become a better player.
-Looking back, if there’s something you kept well and something you didn’t
During the Australian spring camp, I told the players to “play baseball as you want.” I kept my promise. I will continue to enable Kia to play such baseball games. There is nothing that a manager cannot afford to play baseball without paying attention to. There are many players who are not good enough to display their skills. I will help them grow step by step.
-What needs to be supplemented in order for KIA to establish a dynasty
Players should not be complacent. We need to make them feel the joy of winning again. We need to make them feel that desperation. The winning team is over this year. We need to make a team that tries again next year. We need to make a team that matches it. It’s really hard to use the term dynasty. On average, there are many similar teams. If we catch the details well, I think we will do well like this season. I try not to be arrogant and try to go up step by step. This is what we have to do next year.
