The Doosan Bears have finally broken the record for the longest winning streak in franchise history. Doosan won 8-5 at home against the Lotte Giants on May 25 at Jamsil Stadium.
The win extended their winning streak to 11 games. With the win, Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop became the first manager in team history to win 11 straight regular-season games.
Previously, Kim In-sung in 2000 and Kim Tae-hyung (now a baseball commentator for SBS Sports) in 2017 each won 10 consecutive games. Lee surpassed that mark in his first season at the helm.
“When I was talking to the media after the game, I felt a little bit like we had won 11 games in a row,” Lee said, “and when I was doing the palm-to-palm ceremony with the players after the game, it felt real.”
Despite the club’s longest winning streak, Lee was still humbled. “The players played well,” he said. When asked if it was a great achievement compared to the previous two managers who won 10 games in a row, he said, “No, it’s not. Not yet, definitely not. I think it’s a process of getting better little by little,” he said cautiously.
Despite the win, Lee was concerned about the late-game rally by Lotte. “We’ve only played one game in the first three-game series of the second half of the season after the All-Star break, so I’m worried about our performance, especially on the pitching side,” he said before the game.
With that said, Doosan gave up three runs to Lotte in the top of the ninth inning and sent Choi Seung-yong to the mound, followed by Park Chi-kook and Jung Chul-won. Starter Brandon Waddell pitched five scoreless innings, but six pitchers were used, including Lee Young-ha and Park Chi-guk.
“I think we were a little bit distracted because of the score difference,” Lee said, “and there are definitely areas where the pitchers’ performance dropped. We need to reorganize and make improvements in this area.”
Doosan players credit Lee as one of the driving forces behind their 11-game winning streak and recent good results that have propelled them to third place in the standings. It also means that the players can play with a relaxed mindset.
“No, I don’t think so. When I make a lineup or adjust a defensive position, I can’t satisfy 100% of the players who want to play,” he said, adding, “I see my role as encouragement. The players did a good job,” and once again gave the credit for the winning streak to the players.
He mentioned infielder Heo Kyung-min, who serves as the team’s captain. “(He) leads the team really well,” Lee said, “Even when we went on a losing streak at the beginning of the season and when we weren’t performing well, there was no dislike or dissatisfaction within the team. He’s doing a great job as captain.”
Doosan hasn’t had a long losing streak since the start of the season. Two four-game losing streaks were the longest. Lee had another person to thank.
Kim Tae-hyung took over as the team’s head coach. The game was broadcast by SBS Sports, where Kim serves as a commentator (due to soccer broadcasting restrictions, the Doosan-Lotte game was not broadcast live).
“I’m really sorry that I didn’t get to say hello to Coach Kim before the game because I was busy preparing for the game,” said Lee. “When I visited the stadium earlier in the season and most recently for the team’s game broadcast, I asked him for advice and asked him about player characteristics. I’m grateful that he was so open to talking to me.”
As for the 12-game winning streak, Lee said, “Both the 토토사이트 players and the coaching staff prepare to win.”
“To be honest, I’m a little bit relaxed about that external evaluation,” he laughed, referring to Doosan’s omission from the top five before the season.
“I will try to win more games for the players and the fans without overdoing it in the remaining games,” he said. “I will do my best no matter what game I play. I haven’t even been in charge of the team for a season yet. I want to be evaluated after the season is over.”
If Doosan wins against Lotte on Sept. 26, Lee will become the longest winning streak in a manager’s debut season in KBO history. The previous manager to win 11 straight games in his debut season was former Lotte manager Jerry Royster. He last won 11 straight games in the 2008 season.