The Lotte Giants finally embraced the ‘Gomtal Fox’.
On the 20th, Lotte officially announced, “We have appointed coach Kim Tae-hyung as the 21st coach.”
CEO Lee Kang-hoon previously stated over two days on the 16th and 17th, “It is true that Director Kim Tae-hyung is a strong candidate, but we have not even met yet.” I was curious about the background and process of appointment.
Representative Lee explained in a phone call with Sports Chosun, “I met with the manager on the 18th and talked to him.”
The excitement was evident in the voice on the other end of the phone. CEO Lee was in a position to overall manage the Lotte Giants even when he was a Lotte holding company. After taking office as the club’s CEO this year, he led a large investment from the parent company, but the results were not good. Lotte faced the reality of failing fall baseball for six consecutive years.
Currently, the position of general manager is vacant at Lotte Club. The breakup with general manager Seong Min-gyu was officially announced on this day, but even before that, he had virtually withdrawn from club work. CEO Lee took the lead in recruiting coach Kim Tae-hyung. He essentially took on the role of general manager.
“Rather than an interview, I would rather ask you to come to Busan. Fortunately, an agreement was reached and I was able to invite you (to the Lotte team). As the final camp begins (from the 25th), I quickly completed preparations to invite the coach.”
The contract period is 3 years, and the total amount is 2.4 billion won (600 million won down payment, 600 million won annual salary). His inauguration ceremony will be held at the Lotte Hotel in Busan on the 24th, and he is scheduled to meet with the players through the final training session at Sangdong Stadium on the 25th.스포츠토토
Lotte is the second team as a coach. He was first appointed as Doosan’s head coach in 2015 and took the helm for eight years until 2022. During this period, he achieved brilliant achievements by advancing to the Korean Series for seven consecutive years and winning three times.
His relationship with Doosan ended last year, and this year he took the mic as a commentator. His heart was always on the ground, and he came back wearing a Lotte uniform after a year.
What kind of person will the next general manager be? Representative Lee added, “The same process as selecting a director is necessary. We will take time to select candidates and discuss them with the parent company.”
Coach Kim Tae-hyung said, “He is well aware of the weight of the position of manager of the Lotte Giants. He will repay the expectations of fans who have waited for a long time and achieve results.”
He is considered the right person to instill a ‘winning mentality’ in the Lotte team, which is tired from repeated defeats. This is the first step in Lotte’s new start as it seeks to end the dark period of fall baseball failure for six consecutive years.