Lotte's Kim Tae-hyung's sigh, "Everything is going on in my life", but still, "Buy an autumn jumper."" Will the last year of the contract be different [KBO Media Day Site]

*This content was translated by AI.

"I've been through all sorts of things in my life..."

The scene was filled with laughter from the beginning of the event due to the self-help words of Lotte Giants manager Kim Tae-hyung (59). Manager Kim showed confidence in the fall baseball and even drew applause from his fans.

When asked about his candidacy at the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Media Day held at the Lotte Hotel World Grand Ballroom in Songpa-gu, Seoul on the 26th, Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung smiled bitterly, saying, "Last year and early this year, I've been through everything in my life," and added, "That's it, and I thought the players have become very solid." I showed good performance in the exhibition game and I will take it all season and go to autumn baseball for sure," he said.

Lotte stood at the center of various controversies last year and this year. Coach Kim Tae-hyung, who is in the last year of his three-year, 2.4 billion won contract, is frustrated by the constant noise outside the game, in addition to frequent injuries to the players.

In particular, Ko Seung-min, Na Seung-yeop, Kim Se-min and Kim Dong-hyuk were suspended by KBO after they were found to have entered the gambling center in Tainan, Taiwan during the spring camp. In particular, the absence of Ko Seung-min and Na Seung-yeop, the main infielders, is more painful.

Unexpected answers were also given to questions from moderators under the name of "Trigger Interview." When asked, "What is the trigger for the change that you want to pull first in the mind of the team for the higher emergency of the giant?" he laughed in vain and said, "I want to pull a lot of the trigger."

At the same time, it meant that he wanted to make a positive change in the squad, and at the same time, it was a statement in a serious sense aimed at players who were making noise due to sluggishness or personal problems.

Coach Kim said, "There is a gap between the players. There are also injured players. Han Tae-yang and Lee Ho-joon did so well in the exhibition game, he said. "If players who can come back in time for injuries or the number of games (suspended) join, the team will be more solid." It's so well together right now. This year, we will go with a good trend," he said.

He took the helm at the Doosan Bears, praised as a savior to save Lotte after reaching the Korean Series for the first time in seven consecutive years, but he had to settle for seventh place once again, losing 12 consecutive games even after starting seventh in 2024 and third in the second half of last year.

Again, there was no special recruitment except for keeping veteran pitcher Kim Sang-soo, but manager Kim Tae-hyung is determined to achieve his goal of fall baseball because it is the last year of his contract.

Coach Kim, who appeared with Jeon Joon-woo and Jeon Min-jae, answered this season's target ranking with four fingers. He wants to play in the fall baseball somehow.

When asked by a fan, "Can I buy an autumn jumper this year?" he said, "Buy it." "It's chilly, so wear it," he said, causing laughter, followed by "You will wear it from now until autumn." Hurry up and buy it," he said, drawing applause. His arms and legs were tied from the start, but he expressed confidence that he would be different this season.

Lotte ranked first in this year's exhibition games with eight wins, two draws and two losses, and a winning rate of 0.800. Will Lotte be able to laugh in the fall this season beyond last year's "Spring Day" and beyond last year's "Summer Day". Unlike the past two disappointing seasons, attention is being paid to whether head coach Kim Tae-hyung will be praised as a "master as expected" in the final year of the contract.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.