The SSG Landers have terminated the contract of head coach Kim Won-hyung. Kim had only completed one year of his three-year contract.
In a press release on the afternoon of the 31st, SSG said, “In order to renew the team and transform it into a stronger team that is more loved, changes were inevitable.
Therefore, the club has decided to change the on-field leadership beyond the initial changes in the composition of the players and coaching staff,” the club said in a press release, explaining the reasons behind Kim’s dismissal.
Kim Won-hyung was appointed as the manager of the SK Wyverns after the 2020 season (2 years, 700 million won). However, in early 2021, the SK baseball team was sold to Shinsegae Group, and he naturally became the first manager of the ESG Landers.
In 2021, the team finished the season in sixth place due to a number of injuries, but in 2022, he led the team to the KBO’s first ever wire-to-wire title (staying in first place from start to finish).
It was the first championship in the team’s first two seasons.
This year, the first year of the new contract (totaling 2.2 billion won over three years), the team entered fall baseball in third place in the regular season with a fierce battle for the top spot.
However, the players were exhausted after the battle for the top spot and were swept in three games by the fourth-ranked NC Dinos in the semifinals. 바카라사이트
Despite the early exit from the postseason, Kim’s dismissal comes as a surprise considering they finished third in the regular season and still had two years left on their contract.
The club said, “It is definitely not a performance-based termination.”
ESG also came under fire for firing head coach Ryu Sun-kyu after winning the championship last season.
Current coach Kim Sung-yong, who is known to be a close confidant of owner Chung Yong-jin, took over. Following Ryu’s dismissal, Kim Won-hyung, the last legacy of the Eskay Wyverns, was also fired, leading to speculation that ESG is trying to erase the colors of its predecessor.
While the next manager has yet to be announced, there is talk of a surprise appointment in the baseball world. It could be someone with no professional coaching experience, like Lee Seung-yeop, the current manager of the Doosan Bears.
“We will set the criteria that fits the team’s situation and operational direction and proceed with the appointment (of a new manager) quickly,” the club said.