Former coach Kim Ki-tae, who led KIA’s “V11” in 2017, visited Gwangju-Kia Champions Field.
Former coach Kim Ki-tae was the special first pitchman ahead of the KIA-Lotte match held at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on the 25th.
In the game, which was scheduled to be the final match of the home game, KIA celebrated the regular season win with its home fans and held a ceremony to mark the opening ceremony of the Korean Series, and invited head coach Kim Ki-tae, who led the team to the previous championship, as the first pitchman.
Arriving at the ballpark about two hours before the start of the game, Kim greeted all the players including Kia Tigers coach Lee Bum-ho. Not only Lotte coach Kim Tae-hyung who played against Kia on the day but also Lotte coach Kim Joo-chan, who was Kia’s captain when he won the title in 2017, visited Kim Ki-tae and greeted him warmly.
Coach Kim Ki-tae, who had a hard time talking to reporters after declining the interview, still expressed his support for the KIA Tigers with his unique clunky but witty speech skills.
Manager Kim Ki-tae said, “It’s a great honor for me to be here like this. I would have refused if it had been the same time, but I threw the first pitch like this because KIA won the championship, and the fans and players all look good. I hope the Tigers are always healthy and happy.”
Lee Bum-ho, who led Kia to victory in the regular season this year, is the main player who led the team to victory by assisting Kim Ki-tae as its leader in the team in 2017. He also hit a decisive grand slam in Game 5 of the Korean Series. Lee Bum-ho, who became the coach after seven years, has led the team to win the regular season title again and is now seeking the overall title.
“I still vividly remember the grand slam,” coach Kim Ki-tae said. “Lee Bum-ho seems to have the ability to judge and control the team in many ways. I don’t know everything 100 percent, but I think he communicates well with the players and pulls off teamwork in this regard. I was surprised to see that the team, the front desk and the fans were able to embrace baseball because it is not just a field goal. He is a much better coach than me.”
In addition, he said, “When I was a player, I saw how I could become the next coach. Even though he was not feeling well, he was consoling the players and making sacrifices for the team. I think young players today are doing well together because they learned from him.”
In addition, when talking about Kim Do-young, who has emerged as a superstar by leading KIA to the Korean Series this year with tremendous performance, Kim also expressed his “fanship.” When asked about Kim, Kim said, “Wow, he was amazing. At first, I didn’t know he was that good, but he improved a lot and he also seems to have a star quality. I got an autograph, too. I got an autograph on my cap and uniform because my nephew asked me to do so. I’m looking forward to seeing a player who can perform very well in the professional baseball league, and I hope he continues to do well without injury. As a fan, I am rooting for him a lot.”
Park Chan-ho, the player that coach Kim Ki-tae cherished the most, taught, scolded, and adored the most, is now growing into a leadoff player with a batting average of 30%, and the best shortstop in the league. “I heard that Park Chan-ho was already 29 years old, and he had a good sense of play, but he was unstable, and now he has succeeded like this. I hope he can play for a long time without getting injured,” manager Kim Ki-tae said with a smile.
To the 스포츠토토 KIA players who are now aiming for the V12, Kim Ki-tae said, “I want to be careful what I say because I am not the coach now. There are a lot of spectators today, and the main players are Lee Bum-ho, the coaches and the players. Please take good care of our Tigers,” greeting them with a cheerful ending by spreading out both hands.
As a manager, Lee Bum-ho, who says he was significantly influenced by Kim Ki-tae, also called Kim Ki-tae on the morning of the 17th, when he had one magic number left to win the regular season. “I wanted to get the good energy from him,” he said.
Manager Lee Bum-ho said, “This is what Kim Ki-tae said that I should be a coach for the players. I have had similar thoughts to the coach’s baseball view. I will make sure to achieve what the coach achieved in 2017 this time. I want to listen to what he said a lot and make up for his shortcomings. I think he will give me a lot of energy.”
In particular, Yang Hyun-jong, who won the MVP award from the regular season and the Korean Series by leading the Tigers to the V11 as the ace of his heyday in KIA led by head coach Kim Ki-tae, took the mound as the starting pitcher.
Yang Hyun-jong, who has become a living legend of the league, said of Kim Ki-tae among the various leaders he has been through, “He is the manager who taught me what leadership is. He is the one who made me grow into a person and a real man.” Yang Hyun-jong, who still leads the Tigers’ V12 challenge after winning his third championship since his debut in KIA under head coach Lee Bum-ho, embraced Kim Ki-tae when he first took the mound and engraved memories and affection with the “manager” he had met for a long time.