“Am I good enough?”. “Am I overqualified to manage a team?”.
Being a baseball manager is a tough job. You set the direction of the baseball team and organize training plans. You set the game plan, and during the game, you have to read the flow and make different choices. It’s a position that has a decisive influence on the outcome of the game. It”s important to manage the players, motivating and communicating with them, as well as risk management, where you have to be ready for any danger that may arise. You also have to take care of the fans. You also have unlimited responsibility for your performance.
Doosan Bears coach Lee Seung-yeop took the helm without any coaching experience. It was a rare case. National treasure pitcher Sun Dong-yeol also became a manager after being the head coach of Samsung. Instead of pursuing a coaching career after retirement, he spent five years as a broadcast commentator. After last year’s season, he was suddenly appointed as the manager of Doosan instead of Samsung. Some wondered if he would be able to do a good job without any coaching experience.
In April, the team won 12, lost 11 and drew one, with a winning percentage of over 5 percent. May was 11 wins, 11 losses, and a winning percentage of 5. It was in the middle of not doing well and not doing badly, but it was okay for a beginner coach. Then, in June, we took a step backwards with 10 wins and 14 losses. The starting lineup was shaky, and the batting lineup fell into a slump. Foreign starters and batters didn’t do their job. The hard-earned surplus turned into a deficit, and the team dropped to sixth place in the standings. It was a crisis. There must have been many mistakes and hesitations as a manager.
The Bears have been on a tear in July, winning 10 of 10. He tied the team’s record for the longest winning streak and surpassed Kim Young-duk and Kim Sung-geun to become the longest winning streak by a rookie manager in team history. His win-loss margin has grown to seven, and the team has jumped to third place in the standings. The starting lineup, bullpen, defense, mobility, and batting order returned to the powerhouse Doosan of old. The team’s mercenary tactics, such as quick pitching changes, have also become bolder.
Lee said, “When the team started off badly, I thought, ‘Am I not good enough, am I too much to take charge of the team? If the flow changes due to the bench’s misses and the result is bad, it’s the bench’s responsibility. I thought I wasn’t good enough. I thought that I had to make up for it by playing the game. A player plays on the field, and I’m filling in the gaps with a lot of thoughts. I study a lot,” he laughed.
Playing as a coach was definitely different. “It’s completely different from what you see from the outside. From the outside, of course, it looks good. You can see the flow, the movement. When you’re wearing a uniform and playing at the same height as the players, your vision narrows. I’ve been commentating and playing Japanese baseball for five years, and I’ve seen good things and bad things. I think that helps,” he said.카지노
The hardest part was bringing everyone together. “It’s person to person. There is no 100%. We always try to work on communication, teamwork, and being on the same page, but 28 players. 11 coaches, it’s hard to get them together. You just have to try to make sure you’re on the same page. I’m trying to get to know the players better than at the beginning of the season. I want to know what they’re thinking, what they’re worried about. I think it’s getting better,” he explained.
He also defines the true role of a coach. “I played in Japan for eight years and Korea for 15 years, and I saw a lot of coaches. I also had dreams of becoming a coach. I thought a lot about, ‘I must learn how to do this,’ ‘If I do this, the players will be hurt,’ ‘If I do this, the players will be happy,’ etc. In baseball, the coach is the one who teaches the game. He has to set the tone for the players to have fun and play their hearts out on the field. That’s my job,” he emphasized. The rookie manager’s self-reflection and studying paid off with a 10-game winning streak.