“We have to make it new.”
The Samsung Lions had a gloomy All-Star break in particular. They lost all three of their last consecutive games (against the Kia Tigers) in the first half at home and lost to five consecutive games. Worse yet, during the Futures (second tier) All-Star game held on Thursday, a chaotic atmosphere continued as a large number of coaching staff for the first team were replaced. Samsung players (10 players) who sent the most players to this All-Star game had to start the second half of the season without resting properly until they moved for more than five hours.
Among them, the replacement of coaching staff was quite shocking. Samsung announced the transfer of as many as eight coaches on the afternoon of May 5. Head coach Lee Byung-kyu has moved down to the Futures (second division) team, while pitching coach Chung Min-tae and battery coach Lee Jeong-sik have also moved to the Futures team. Bullpool coach Kwon Oh-joon has also moved down to the rehabilitation team. Striking coach Lee Jin-young has changed his role to assistant hitting coach. On the other hand, Futures coach Jung Dae-hyun was promoted to the first division’s head coach and pitching coach, while Tachibana Yoshie, the third division coach, was appointed as the first division’s batting coach, and Kang Young-sik and Coporal Chae’s second division coach were appointed as the first division’s bullpen coach and battery coach, respectively. In fact, other than coach Park Jin-man, the main coaches have been replaced.
The decision was reportedly made by high-ranking officials who were not aware of it even within the club. Not only the coaches concerned but also the coach Park Jin-man were notified on the same day (May 5). The appointment was made with the final consent of the coach Park Jin-man, but it has become a bit frustrating as a number of coaches (chief coach Lee Byung-kyu and coach Jung Min-tae) that he brought in went down to the second division. “The appointment is aimed at changing the atmosphere,” coach Park Jin-man said through the club. General manager Lee Jong-yeol left for the U.S. after reorganizing the coaching staff at the beginning of the All Star game break.
Currently, Samsung ranks fourth. It has 85 wins, 39 losses, two draws, and a winning rate of 0.530. Detailed indicators are not bad either. Samsung ranks third in ERA as a pitcher for this year with 4.49. While the relief team has slowed down a bit while recording ERA 4.18 (2nd) among the starters and 4.95 (6th), the team’s batting average has already surpassed that of last year (4.26 as starters and 5.16). Although the team’s batting average has fallen from 0.263 last year (0.260), the number of homers (91) has already exceeded that of last year’s (88). However, the fact that Samsung had lost consecutive games at the end of the first half led to its decision to reshuffle the coaching team. 토토사이트
How will the players react? Won Tae-in, who said he was “surprised a lot,” said, “Coach Jung Min-tae has helped me a lot since the camp. He instilled confidence when I suffered ups and downs during the season.” Captain Koo Ja-wook also said, “Thanks to coach Lee Byung-kyu, the atmosphere in the dugout was very good. He called me “I’m sorry” (after the coach changed position). I think I had good chemistry with the coaches who were in the first team, but (changing the coaching staff) is not something we can do.”
As he said, coaching is not an area for players. Koo Ja-wook said, “I have to work with new coaches. I will try to be good with new coaches again.” Won Tae-in also stressed, “I will try to get better with new coaches in the second half of the year.” Oh Seung-hwan, the “best senior,” also encouraged his juniors, saying, “It’s something that players need to understand. I think that players only need to do what they have to do.”
In the end, he has strong will to turn the mood around with performances. “Many people are worried (due to poor performance at the end of the first half), but I will organize my thoughts well during the break period of the All Star game and show good performance in the second half,” Oh said. Koo Ja-wook also said, “The mood is not good because we suffered a come-from-behind loss and consecutive losses at the end of the first half. However, I think it is a miracle that we achieved such a good performance in the first half of the year. As a captain, I will take good care of the players and cheer up in the second half of the year.”