"He should have thrown a different pitch there." Kim Tae-hyung spent three years spouting only hindsight before departing

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The day after allowing a decisive home run and losing the game, former Lotte Giants Manager Kim Tae-hyung (59), seated in the press briefing room for reporters, consistently offered similar post-game recaps.

"He should have thrown a different pitch there," "I don't understand why he chose that pitch type at that count."

These self-critical remarks, delivered as if from a third-party observer, were a routine sight for Lotte Giants over the three years. While it was easy to offer such after-the-fact evaluations once the results were known, sighs of frustration emerged both on and off the field, noting that these assessments were difficult to accept.

Modern baseball's core elements—data analysis and situation-specific pitch design—should have been thoroughly established in advance at the bench level. However, puzzling reactions arose because the lack of preparation and guidance from the bench was concealed, while failures in game-day pitch sequencing were attributed solely to the judgment of the catcher and pitcher. A manager from a metropolitan area team, when asked about the matter, shook his head and said, "Pitch sequencing can be sufficiently communicated via signs from the dugout."

Ultimately, on the morning of the 24th, Lotte officially announced the parting of ways. The Lotte Giants organization stated, "Manager Kim Tae-hyung's three-year contract with Lotte Giants has expired, and we have decided not to renew it. The process for appointing the next manager is underway, and we will announce the decision as soon as it is made," thereby drawing a period on their time together.

The cumulative record left by Manager Kim Tae-hyung during his three seasons (2024–2026) as Lotte's skipper was 196 wins, 13 draws, and 223 losses, for a winning percentage of just 0.468.

Considering the flashy epithet "championship contractor" he received upon his arrival, this record is not merely shabby but devastating. It even falls short of the cumulative record (2021–2023, 162 wins, 12 draws, 182 losses, winning percentage 0.471) of former Manager Larry Sutton, who had previously departed in disgrace due to poor performance and deteriorating health. Despite starting with a guaranteed salary of 2.4 billion won for a three-year contract, he ultimately ended his tenure by pushing the team into an even deeper quagmire than under his predecessor's regime.

It was three years during which, instead of organic feedback and strategic alternatives, "hindsight" was merely listed in front of the media after games concluded. Without establishing a clear system or achieving a turnaround in performance, all that remains is a scorecard even more dismal than that of his predecessor Larry Sutton, whom he had criticized mercilessly during his time as a commentator.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original