New attractions for baseball fans are added to the 2023 KBO League. Former coaches who held the baton until last year at the ‘Jamsil Rivals’ Doosan Bears and LG Twins will debut as commentators side by side. Former Doosan coach Kim Tae-hyung and Ryu Ji-hyun, former LG coach.
Former manager Kim Tae-hyung was appointed as Doosan’s command tower from 2015 and achieved the feat of advancing to the Korean Series for the first time in the history of the KBO League for 7 consecutive years by 2021. In the meantime, the Korean Series won three times and runner-up four times.
However, last year, when manager Kim Tae-hyeong’s term expired, Doosan fell to 9th for the first time in the club’s history, and the renewal of the contract was unsuccessful. Every year, key players left Doosan as free agents, and there was an aspect that even coach Kim Tae-hyung could not help. When manager Kim Tae-hyeong, who was regarded as the ‘best current manager’, parted ways with Doosan, there were observations that he would be immediately appointed as the manager of another team, but he left the field once. Former coach Taehyung Kim works as a sports commentator at SBS.
Former manager Ryu Ji-hyun took office as 파라오카지노 LG’s command tower ahead of the 2021 season and led the team to advance to the postseason for two consecutive years. Last year, LG club recorded 87 wins, the most wins in a season, and the winning rate was 0.613, reaching 60%, receiving favorable reviews as ‘second place like first place’.
However, manager Ryu Ji-hyun failed to renew the contract with the expiration of his two-year term when LG was eliminated by Kiwoom Heroes in the playoffs with 1 win and 3 losses. As a rookie who joined LG as the first nomination in 1994, and took the lead in winning the combined championship, coach Ryu Ji-hyun, who had been working only with LG as a player, coach, and manager, left LG. Former coach Ryu Ji-hyun starts as a KBSN sports commentator.
Coincidentally, there is a joke that both teams, Doosan and LG, exchanged coaches and commentators like a ‘trade’. Doosan appointed Lee Seung-yeop, SBS sports commentator, and LG appointed Yeom Gyeong-yeop, KBSN sports commentator, as new coaches. In other words, full-time directors filled the gaps left by the two commentators.
Considering the achievements during his tenure as manager, former manager Kim Tae-hyung and former manager Ryu Ji-hyun were persuasive enough even if they reached a renewal of the contract side by side. However, former coach Kim Tae-hyung and former coach Ryu Ji-hyun had a contrasting way of managing the team. Former manager Kim Tae-hyung showed off his strength in short-term matches due to his strong temperament as a matchmaker, but there were criticisms that the bullpen pitcher was overworked. Former coach Ryu Ji-hyeon managed bullpen pitchers thoroughly during the regular season to avoid overwork, but he could not hide his weakness in short-term matches.
Former director Kim Tae-hyung’s direct speech with a sense of humor is his trademark, but former director Ryu Ji-hyun places importance on discreet yet delicate speech, and as a commentator, expectations are being raised that it will be a contrast in broadcasting. Expectations are high for the high-quality commentary of a former coach commentator.
Like LG coach Yeom Gyeong-yeop, who served as a commentator after resigning as SK Wyverns coach, former coach Kim Tae-hyung and former coach Ryu Ji-hyun can return to the field at any time. Attention is focusing on whether former directors Kim Tae-hyung and Ryu Ji-hyun, who have stepped back from the field but still don’t let go, will return as directors in the future.