LG Twins coach Lee Ho-joon, who was troubled by the managerial rumors just before the Korean Series, boldly revealed his honest feelings.
Lee received the Professional Leadership Award at the ‘2023 Nutriday First Team Award Ceremony’ held at the Versailles Hall on the third floor of the Rivera Hotel in Seoul on April 8.
Lee was recognized for leading the LG batting lineup to the top of the league through active communication with his players. LG ranked first in team batting average (0.279), on-base percentage (0.361), and slugging percentage (0.394).
After receiving the award, Coach Lee said, “I am honored to receive this award from my seniors. I am grateful to Cha Myung-seok for inviting me to coach at LG,” said Lee. “The players performed very well this season thanks to coach Yeom Kyung-yup, who gave us clear instructions on the direction of our hitting, and I think the players understood and accepted that part. I would also like to thank my batting coach, Mo Chang-min, who has always been by my side and helped me with his honesty.”
He went on to say something meaningful. “This season, the team won the overall championship, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as others. I want to lift the trophy next year and enjoy it twice as much as I did this year.”
Lee’s acceptance speech naturally brings to mind the managerial rumors that arose just before the Korean Series.
LG was preparing for the Korean Series. News broke that Kim Won-hyung had been tapped for the SSG Landers head coaching job, which had become vacant following the firing of former coach Kim Won-hyung. It was later revealed that he was a finalist for the job. Coach Lee Ho-joon was confused by the reports, as he had to prepare for the Korean Series. In the end, Lee did not become SSG’s head coach. SSG named former KT Wiz head of player development Lee Sung-yong as its ninth head coach.
“I can’t lie in interviews and broadcasts,” said Lee Ho-joon after the ceremony, “but I actually felt a little unfair. After winning the unified championship for the first time in 29 years, everyone was enjoying it, people were enjoying it on the streets, and I suddenly became a victim and had to avoid it. I was actually a little depressed because I thought, ‘Why do I have to go around like this? “I think I didn’t leave the house for about a week after I won, and I was thinking about a lot of things,” he said.
So when Lee was named Coach of the Year at a ceremony on March 30, he didn’t show up to accept the award. 토토사이트
“I tried to get dressed, but I couldn’t, so I called and asked for forgiveness (for not showing up),” he said, adding, “I realized that I shouldn’t avoid it today. “I thought a lot about it, and I thought, ‘Why do I have to be a victim? I had the courage to come to the award ceremony today,” he confessed.
His family was also affected by the incident.
“My two sons both play baseball, and they’ve been victimized because of me. They asked me a lot of questions after the news broke. After the news broke, my sons comforted me, but I think they had a hard time.” “Especially my oldest son, I was having a drink with him and we were talking about baseball and he suddenly burst into tears. I was so sorry and heartbroken. I’m the problem. I want my family to be happy, and I’m sad that they’re not.”
Now he has brushed it off. Coach Lee is looking forward to next year. “I’m so sorry that the team won the championship after 29 years and I didn’t enjoy it, so if we win next year, I’m going to go overboard. I’ll try to faint,” he smiled.
Im Chan-kyu is well aware of Coach Lee’s struggles. “In the middle and late part of the season, he was talking about this and that, and he was very sorry for the players. He asked me to talk to the pitchers, and I’ll tell you honestly, he doesn’t have to apologize at all. I hope the players don’t feel sorry for him because they were all together, including his brother, and they respected Coach Lee Ho-joon,” he said, adding, “I hope they enjoy it for a short time from now, and if they don’t, I believe the players will do it (win the championship) so that they can enjoy it next year.”
