
Lee Bum-ho, manager of the Kia Tigers in baseball, led his team to the top of the Korean Series (KS-7 best-of-four) following the regular season. He led the team to its first title in seven years with his unique leadership style.
Kia defeated the Samsung Lions 7-5 in Game 5 of the 2024 Shinhan SolBank KBO Postseason (PS) at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on Monday, improving to 4-1 in the KS to clinch the title.
With the victory, Kia continued its “undefeated myth” by winning the KS title for the 12th time (1983-1986-1987-1988-1989-1991-1993-1996-1997-2009-2017-2024), and the first time in seven years since 2017.
Lee Bum-ho became the first manager to win the title in his first year in charge. He is the third manager in history to do so, after Sun Dong-yeol in 2005 and Ryu Jung-il in 2011.
Lee, who was initially preparing for the season as the first-team hitting coach, took over the reins unexpectedly during spring training. Lee was promoted to the position after former manager Kim Jong-kook was sacked in January of this year amid a prosecution investigation into allegations that he accepted a large sum of money from a coffee company that sponsors the team.
Lee signaled a generational change at the helm.
Born in 1981, Lee is the KBO’s first manager born in the 1980s.
This is the first time Lee, who started his coaching career in 2020, will be in charge of the first team. In his four years at KIA, he served as the Futures (second team) manager, first team hitting coach, and scout.
Kia needed to clean up the mess as soon as possible, and Lee, who has a good understanding of the players and the internal system, 파워볼사이트 quickly got the team back on track and ready for the season.
During the regular season, Lee embraced the entire squad with his “big brother leadership” and excellent communication skills. He made the team feel comfortable by interacting with the players without imposing his authority, and he respected and welcomed their input in running the team. When asked about leadership before Game 5, Lee said, “We had a direction we wanted to go in the game, and it went the way we wanted it to go. I realized that we are a team that can play around the players, and I thought that if we first understand their inclinations and let them play well, they will be active. It worked out well, and it has worked out well for us this season.”
After a brief slip from the top spot in June, the team returned to the top spot and held off rivals Samsung and LG Twins throughout July and August.
Game after game, Kia’s dominance grew stronger and stronger, and they clinched the regular season title early.
Kia faced a bad luck with injuries to four of its five starting pitchers, but Lee minimized the gap by using Hwang Dong-ha and Kim Do-hyun as substitute starters. In addition, the coach consistently provided opportunities for the younger players in the team, such as Kim Do-young, Kwak Do-gyu, and Hwang Dong-ha, to showcase their skills and realize their potential.
Lee also took a bold move in KS that resulted in the victory.
In Game 1, which resumed after the game was suspended, he used set-up man Jeon Sang-hyun as his first pitcher to get out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the sixth inning. Lee didn’t reveal which pitcher would take the mound until the game started, and the secret “Jeon Sang-hyun card” paid off. Jeon’s strong performance paved the way for a 5-1 victory.
After sweeping Gisun, Kia took Game 2 and Game 4 with evenly matched performances from its bats and bullpen, and then seized the momentum to close out Game 5.