Sung Min-gyu, the general manager of "Former Lotte" Ko Hyo-joon, remembered, "I was very involved in the appointment of players"

*This content was translated by AI.

Veteran left-hander Ko Hyo-joon (43), who previously kept the mound of the Lotte Giants, made a lot of determined remarks about how the club was operated during his tenure as former general manager Sung Min-gyu (44).

Ko Hyo-joon appeared on the recently released YouTube channel "Stocking" and revealed the conflict between former general manager Sung Min-gyu and former Lotte coach Huh Moon-hoe (54) during his time at Lotte, and the FA (free agent) negotiation process he experienced.

On the show, Ko Hyo-joon said, "I don't think the two of you really hit it off," regarding the rumors of a feud between former general manager Sung and former coach Huh, who were in the baseball world at the time.

Ko Hyo-joon, who recalled the time, said, "I think there was a part where the general manager was very involved in the issue of player appointment at the time. Originally, director Huh also thought well about that, but despite having his own operating philosophy, he must have been hurt by his continued involvement." MBC Sports Plus commentator Kim Sun-woo also added, "As I learned baseball in the United States, I think the general manager tried to control the field like the United States."

When MC Kim Gu-ra asked the direct question of who he thought was right, Ko Hyo-joon said, "(Personally) it's director Heo Moon-hoe. What I felt while playing baseball was that the management of the game should be entirely done by the manager. Since there was a fight between the two of them at the time, I think if you gave the coach strength, he would have achieved a result," he said without hesitation.

In addition, Ko Hyo-joon recalled the situation in which he was suddenly excluded from the must-win group even though he was in good condition by recording 15 holds in the first half of the 2019 season, and said, "As the head of the team changed, it flowed to an atmosphere to give young players a chance. I threw it silently in my own way, but the position completely changed," he recalled. In the 2019 season, Ko Hyo-joon achieved his first double-digit hold in his professional career.

Ko Hyo-joon also revealed a shocking story in the FA negotiation process after the end of the 2019 season. "Director Sung took over and negotiated with the FA, and he notified the agent, 'If you don't sign this amount within 48 hours, the amount will be cut,'" he revealed.

At that time, the amount Ko Hyo-joon was offered was not good for FA, with an annual salary of 100 million won, an option of 20 million won, and a contract period of one year. Ko Hyo-joon said, "It was an amount that could not be called an FA," adding, "In the end, when I signed the contract in March, my annual salary was reduced to 90 million won. "My pride was very hurt, but I had no choice but to accept it," he confessed. In the end, they signed the contract on the terms of that year.

Ko Hyo-joon also criticized Lotte's atmosphere inside the team during its dark age. "There is a reason for all the teams that don't work," he said. "As some young players gained popularity from fans, they fell into the idea of 'I'm the best' and often did not change their attitude even when they went down to the second division. Then, the players' base changes again. It was the same when I joined Lotte for the first time in the 2002 season, and it was the same when I returned to the team in the 2018 season."

Ko Hyo-joon recently announced the news of joining the Ulsan Whale Citizens' Club and said, "I am grateful to the club for giving me the opportunity to challenge. I will repay you with good results," he said, strengthening his will to extend his active career. This season's Futures League performance is zero ERA with one hold without winning or losing in two games.

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*This content was translated by AI.