"Even if I succeed," was there an ordeal like this in the life of a national hitter?Beijing Hero → Permanent Resignation → Unappreciated resignation
"Even if I succeed," was there an ordeal like this in the life of a national hitter?Beijing Hero → Permanent Resignation → Unappreciated resignation
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From being a Beijing hero to retiring permanently. Was there such an ordeal in the life of a national batter.스포츠토토
Doosan Bears manager Lee Seung-yeop chose to resign voluntarily, taking responsibility for the poor performance of the team. Lee's first professional leadership career ended in disgrace.
Coach Lee suddenly visited Jamsil Stadium on the afternoon of the 2nd and announced his intention to resign voluntarily to the team's leadership.
Doosan had 23 wins, three draws and 32 losses this season, falling to ninth place in the league. In his third year as a manager, Lee couldn't avoid responsibility for his performance. Moreover, he suffered a shocking 0-1 defeat in two consecutive games against the lowest-ranked Kiwoom Heroes last weekend.
In fact, Lee has lived a baseball life far from failure. When he was an active player, Lee bragged about his stellar career more than anyone else. After joining the Samsung Lions in 1995, Lee played in 1906 games, had 2,156 hits, 464 homers and 1498 RBIs in the KBO league, and became a legendary hitter.
In 1999, he set the record for the most home runs (54) in a single KBO season, and in 2003, he broke the Asian home run record with 56 home runs and entered the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) stage in 2004.
Lee, who started his Japanese career with the Chiba Lotte Marines, also left an impressive performance on the NPB stage as the No. 4 hitter of the Yomiuri Giants, a popular Japanese national baseball team. Afterwards, Lee returned to his former home team of Samsung in 2012 after serving as the Orix Buffaloes. Lee, who contributed to the team's third consecutive victory and fourth consecutive regular-season championship, burned the last flame. When he retired from active duty in 2017, Samsung designated his uniform number 36 as a permanent No. 4 hitter for the first time in the team, and baseball fans praised him as a "forever No. 4 hitter."
Coach Lee shone in Korean baseball even with the national flag.
He became the first Korean baseball player to win a medal (bronze medal) at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he hit a dramatic two-run home run in the semifinal match between Korea and Japan, playing a leading role in the gold medal myth. As such, his clutch skills at international competitions such as the Olympics, World Baseball Classic (WBC), and Asian Games have further strengthened his nickname "national hitter."
However, his first attempt as a professional leader was anything but easy. Doosan succeeded Kim Tae-hyung, who led the team to the Korean Series for the seventh consecutive year in 2022, as Lee Seung-yeop, who has no experience as a leader, took the helm. Under the exceptional condition of a three-year total of 1.8 billion won, Lee was expected to bring a new wind to Doosan.
In the 2023 season, his first year in charge, he led his team to the fall baseball league for the first time in two years by ranking fifth in the league. He led the NC Dinos 3-0 in the wild card game, but was eliminated as he suffered a come-from-behind loss of 9-14.
During the 2024 season, Doosan advanced back to the wild card game by ranking fourth in the regular season. Lee, who has led the fall baseball league for the second consecutive year, looked to the higher end. Amid the tragic loss of 18 consecutive scoreless innings in the series against KT Wiz, Lee became the scapegoat for the first time in the wild card game.
Coach Lee was desperate to advance to the Korean Series ahead of the 2025 season, the last year of his contract.
However, the team fell endlessly from the beginning of the season due to the injuries of main pitchers Kwak Bin and Hong Gun-hee just before the opening, poor performances of foreign players Cole Irvin and Jake Cave, and the slump of high-paid fielders.
After failing to rebound until May, Lee eventually chose to voluntarily resign. It was a bitter debut for the leader, unlike his stellar and active career.
Coach Lee received more spotlight than anyone else during his active days, but he had to shoulder that heavy responsibility. As a player, he overcame the crisis through his own efforts, but the path of a professional leader to lead various members was a completely different weight.
Of course, no one can deny the honor he has built up under the name of the 'national batter'.
However, his disgraceful resignation as a manager remained a challenge for him to get back on his feet. While walking on solid roads, he ran aground for the first time in his late 40s, when his baseball career still had a lot to do. It will remain a point to watch how Lee's baseball career will progress.