Yeom Kyung-yeop’s pointed remark: Why did he emphasize “urgency” and “effort” over skill?

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The “defending champions,” the LG Twins, ultimately failed to fulfill their wish of winning back-to-back titles for the second consecutive year. Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop (58) cited “urgency” and “effort” as areas that need improvement for next season.

On the 20th, at Seoul Jamsil Stadium, LG lost 1-13 to the KIA Tigers in the third game of the wild card series (best-of-five), suffering a three-game sweep and exiting the postseason.

Immediately after the game, Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop entered the interview room at Jamsil Stadium for a press conference. The atmosphere was heavy. Before any questions were asked, Manager Yeom opened by saying, “I will keep this brief. Please understand.”

“Overall, our lineup was outmatched by KIA’s, making it a difficult series. I am sorry that we could not deliver the results expected of us, and we will prepare well for next season,” he summarized briefly. When asked about the gains from this season, he answered, “The growth of Song Chan-ui and Moon Jung-bin.”

After adding the following remarks on his own, he concluded the brief interview.

“I think we need to change our overall mindset. We must be more urgent and put in more effort. Only when individual players grow can the team develop... Starting from our closing training, I plan to set a direction by shifting each player’s mindset slightly toward a more urgent approach to baseball and a style backed by greater effort, so that we can play better baseball next year.”

It was a pointed remark. Typically, in season-ending interviews, managers cite team strengths such as offensive power, the pitching staff, or defense as areas for improvement. However, Manager Yeom emphasized attitude toward baseball over skill as the reason the team failed to meet expectations this season.

LG held the sole lead until July 8, near the end of the first half of the season, but subsequently slumped and was pushed down to the wild card round. Given the unexpected decline, various comments inevitably emerged regarding the players’ morale and mental fortitude.

When LG reached the pinnacle for the first time in 29 years in 2023, the baseball community and fans praised the desperation and tenacity displayed by the players. Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop’s final reflections of the season seemed to contain a will to revive that team atmosphere, along with painful self-reflection. It is also a task that the strong LG team, which has won the championship twice (in 2023 and 2025) over the past three years, must definitely solve in order to establish itself as a true “dynasty.”

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original