[Official] "Ultimately, a titleless ending": Kim Kyung-moon, Hanwha Eagles manager, bows his head and departs after 'KS appearance in 19 years → drop to 9th place'

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Kim Kyung-moon (68), Hanwha Eagles manager, is leaving the team upon the expiration of his contract.

The Hanwha team led by Manager Kim Kyung-moon will conclude its season with a home game against the NC Dinos at 5 p.m. on the 10th at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark, the final match of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League.

Last year, they advanced to the Korea Series for the first time in 19 years, but this season ultimately ended with a 9th-place finish. Due to the disappointing results, Hanwha decided to naturally conclude their partnership with Manager Kim Kyung-moon upon the expiration of his contract.

Manager Kim Kyung-moon served as manager for the Doosan Bears (2004–2011) and NC (2013–2018), accumulating 896 wins, and took over as Hanwha's manager during the 2024 season. The contract was worth 2 billion won over three years.

He developed players such as Kim Seo-hyun and Moon Hyun-bin into top-tier stars in the league, and last year led Hanwha to the postseason for the first time in seven years and the Korea Series for the first time in 19 years, earning recognition for his managerial skills.

Personally, he also achieved the milestone of becoming the third manager in KBO history to reach 1,000 wins, following Kim Eung-yong (1,554 wins) and Kim Sung-geun (1,388 wins), last August.

However, this season presented problems. The absence of foreign pitchers Cody Ponce and Ryan Weiss, who moved to Major League Baseball, was too significant. Moon Dong-ju underwent surgery, creating a major hole in the starting rotation, and closer Kim Seo-hyun fell into a significant slump. Jung Woo-ju also failed to provide the same level of power as last year.

Wilkel Hernandez was replaced during the season, and Bruce Zimmerman, brought in as his replacement, completely failed to fulfill his role.

Criticism regarding his game management skills also came under scrutiny. Ultimately, Hanwha finished the season in 9th place for the first time in three years since 2023.

Ahead of the final game of the season, Manager Kim delivered a farewell address to the media before the match. A club official stated, "The manager judged that it was proper to deliver his final words in front of the press," adding, "He conveyed his sense of regret toward the fans."

Up until this day, Manager Kim had recorded 1,021 wins (875 losses) over 17 seasons in the KBO League. Although he reached the postseason 11 times, he has never experienced a championship victory.

Upon taking the role of Hanwha manager, he expressed his desire to "definitely win a championship in front of Hanwha fans," but ultimately left Hanwha as a "titleless manager" without fulfilling that wish.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original