Manager Kim Kyung-moon wins his comeback as a professional baseball coach

"When I first became the director, I was in my early 40s, but now I am the most senior. I feel a sense of responsibility to do well."

Hanwha Eagles coach Kim Kyung-moon said this about the title of ‘KBO League’s oldest active coach.’

Director Kim, born in November 1958, is 66 years old (hereinafter referred to as Yeon’s age). He is the only active coach in his 60s and is 23 years older than the youngest coach, Lee Beom-ho (43), of the KIA Tigers.

This is why some are concerned about whether Coach Kim will be able to lead Hanwha to the postseason and even win the Korean Series (KS) without falling behind modern baseball trends.

In fact, since the birth of professional baseball in 1982, there have been a total of 101 managers, of which only 9 are in their 60s, including Manager Kim.

It is true that he was not chosen by many clubs due to the fact that he was pushed out by those in their 40s and 50s who make up the majority of KBO League head coaches.

However, if you take a closer look at the performance of the previous eight head coaches in their 60s, the story is different. 슬롯사이트

Four people, half of them, led the team to fall baseball, and two of them even succeeded in winning the KS championship.

The fact that he is still holding the baton even after he is over 60 proves that he is a highly skilled and proven leader.

Former coach 'Yasin' Kim Seong-geun (82) became the coach of SK Wyverns (the predecessor of SSG Landers) in 2007 at the age of 65, and built a 'dynasty' by winning combined championships in 2007, 2008, and 2010.

Former coach Kim Eung-yong (83), a 'championship contractor' who achieved the KS championship 10 times, took over the baton of the Samsung Lions in 2001 when he was just 60 years old, led the team to advance to the postseason for 4 consecutive seasons, and won its 10th championship in 2002.

Former coach Kim In-sik (77), the 'national director', led Hanwha since 2005 when he was 58 years old, advanced to KS in 2006, and also took the stage in the fall of 2007.

Kim Yong-hee (69), current Lotte Giants second team coach, led SK to the postseason in 2015 when he was 60 years old.

However, all directors in their 70s met bitter endings. Coincidentally, they were all from Hanwha.

Former coach Kim Eung-yong pitched for Hanwha in 2013 when he was 72, and former coach Kim Seong-geun pitched for Hanwha in 2015 when he was 73, but both resigned in disgrace and retired from the KBO League.

Attention is focused on how coach Kim Kyung-moon, the 9th coach in history to be in his 60s, will fill his 60s.

Coach Kim, who began his coaching career with the Doosan Bears in 2004, spent his brilliant 40s by achieving KS runner-up three times and winning the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

In his 50s, he led the new team NC Dinos to the postseason for four consecutive years, but was unable to achieve his long-held KS championship and gave up the baton in the middle of the 2018 season.

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, when he was in his early 60s, he finished fourth and failed to win a medal.

At a press conference on the 3rd, Manager Kim said, "I was away from the field, but I went to many places to not forget my sense of baseball," and added, "I studied in the American minor league because I wanted to know how baseball was changing." 슬롯사이트 추천