Did we really have to replace him now.
The NC Dinos replaced manager Kang In-kwon, who had one year left on his contract. With about 10 days left until the end of the regular season, NC has eight remaining games. The manager’s replacement was made in a surprise move.
NC announced the termination of its contract with manager Kang In-kwon on Tuesday afternoon. “We decided to dismiss Kang after being eliminated from the semi-finals to renew the mood that has been depressed due to poor performance. For the rest of the season, team C (second division) coach Gong Pil-seong will serve as acting coach,” NC announced.
NC lost to Hanwha 6-7 the previous day (19th), confirming its elimination from the postseason. Even if fifth-ranked KT loses all the remaining games and NC wins all the remaining games, “Autumn Baseball” will not be possible.
“After the end of the match between KT and Samsung in Suwon on Wednesday, we had an internal meeting and finally made the final decision on Wednesday morning,” said an NC team official. “Chairman Lee Jin-man and general manager Lim Sun-nam had a meeting with manager Kang In-kwon at 1 p.m. on Tuesday.” Kang, who came to work to prepare for the match against Lotte on Tuesday, informed him of his dismissal.
Kang, whose contract period is until 2025, stepped down with one year remaining. Kang led the team as acting head coach when former coach Lee Dong-wook was replaced on May 11, 2022. He finished the season in sixth place, two games behind then-lowest NC.
He signed a three-year contract (2023-2025) at the end of the 2022 season and took the helm of NC`s third division. He led the team by ranking fourth in the regular season last year and advanced to the playoffs from the wild card game by posting nine consecutive wins in the post season.
In this season, NC ranked second until mid-May and competed with top-ranked players more than expected. However, it lost eight consecutive games in late May, falling to fifth place and ranking in the middle. In August, the team had slumped to 11 consecutive losses, the most since its foundation, falling to ninth place. By this time, fall baseball has become more difficult than expected.
NC`s major players have had frequent injury variables this season. Son Ah-seop left the club due to a cruciate ligament injury in early July, and Park Kun-woo was also out for the season due to a wrist fracture in late July. Castano, a foreign pitcher, was released due to injury in late July. Hart, who ranks first in ERA, missed the rotation four to five times due to minor injuries. Kim Young-kyu, Lee Jae-hak, and Kim Si-hoon were injured in rotation, failing to overcome their weaknesses in the Korean starting lineup. 토토사이트
At the end of July, he gave Kiwoom two rookie nominations (1st and 3rd rounds) and made a trade to bring infielder Kim Hui-jip, but it did not have much effect.
“We had a lot of difficult moments during the season. We had a lot of bad performances due to a lot of injured players, but it is not right to blame the coach for all of them,” Lim said. “It doesn’t look good to replace a coach whenever we have a bad performance and start anew,” but added, “We decided to wait and support as much as possible. I think it’s time to change the mood internally and externally and prepare for the next year anew.”
Except for the injury variables, however, the club seemed to be dissatisfied with Kang’s game management and the use of players. After Kang’s replacement, Lim Seon-nam expressed regret over the management of the bullpen and the use of players, citing the continued use of players in slumps and repeated reversal losses in the same pattern.
Except for Kim Joo-won and Kim Hyung-joon, who have been raised as main players, NC has no clear position for young players in the 1.5th division. Except for Lee Jae-hak and Lee Yong-chan, there are many young players in their 20s, but few players consistently show stability in starters or bullpens.
Peddy, who won three gold medals last winter, returned to the U.S., and Koo Chang-mo joined the military. He was evaluated as a mid- to low-ranking player due to weak starting lineup. Even without injuries to Son Ah-seop and Park Gun-woo, it would have been a tough five-way race. The growth of young fielders and fostering domestic starting pitchers are big tasks. It is not a problem that can be solved at once by renewing the atmosphere of replacing the head coach.
