KT coach Lee Jong-beom, who retired during the season, eventually confirmed the strongest baseball manager, thanks to Lee Kang-chul's understanding
Jun 30, 2025
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The Greatest Baseball is a program in which retired professional baseball players form a team together to challenge baseball again, and is set to air a new season in September.
The production team of the 'strongest baseball' apologized for unintentionally causing inconvenience to the club and professional baseball fans in the process of recruiting Lee Jong-beom as he made a difficult decision to leave the professional baseball team. I will do my best to become a baseball content that contributes to the growth and development of Korean baseball" he said.
Manager Lee Jong-beom explained why he joined the team with a new role, saying, `I have decided to participate in a program with good intentions that can contribute to the success of Korean baseball, the expansion of its base, and the re-examination of retired players.'
▶ Why did you accept the manager's offer of 'strongest baseball'?
"In early June, I had dinner with the PD in charge of "The Greatest Baseball"." At first, I didn't even know he was preparing 'strongest baseball'. I sometimes eat because I became a guest on a soccer entertainment show in the past. During the conversation, he received a new 'strongest baseball' manager's proposal, but he expressed his disapproval because he is an incumbent coach. But a few days later, some retired juniors contacted me, and I was asked to be the focal point and lead 'strongest baseball', and I thought about it for several days. I consulted with manager Lee Kang-chul because I was well aware that 'the strongest baseball' had played a lot of roles in the success of Korean professional baseball, and thanks to the manager's generous understanding of my thoughts and positions, I took on a new challenge. As baseball entertainment has gained popularity, some juniors are enjoying their second heyday and are loved a lot, but there are many juniors who are not. If the recently struggling 'strongest baseball' can regroup, it can provide opportunities for more juniors, and I want to challenge myself for it together, so I accepted the manager position."
▶ Was there any concern about leaving the team in the middle of the season?
"First of all, I want to say sorry to the fans who support KT Wiz. The decision to leave the club during the season was by no means an easy one. After receiving the proposal, I thought about it for a few days due to a lot of worries, and I consulted with director Lee Kang-chul. At first, I was worried a lot, but it was more about my close junior's baseball career than about the team's power leakage. He hoped that his junior would go on the path of an orthodox leader. But there are juniors who need me, and they understood and allowed me to try new challenges. I knew my decision could be blamed for an unusual move in baseball, including a team vacuum. When I received the manager's offer, I just took a step back for the growth of competent junior coaches at the club. My junior coaches are doing so well, and I was also worried that my presence could be a burden to me, so the coach took this into consideration. After he allowed it, he was very considerate. Although it is in the middle of the season, he left early so that he could focus on new challenges. The day before he came out, he called separately and gave generous advice on the coach's mindset and precautions. He's a really good senior."
▶ What is your aspiration as the 'strongest baseball' manager?
I was well aware that accepting the managerial position of the "strongest baseball" could get a lot of criticism. If you only wanted the manager's job, you wouldn't have chosen 'strongest baseball'. I think saving the 'strongest baseball' can make the boom in Korean baseball even bigger. In particular, the newly launched 'strongest baseball' also promised support for amateur baseball, such as youth baseball. It leads to new challenges for retired players and helps develop the baseball world, but I don't think entertainment is a completely different world from professional baseball. It's an entertainment show, and even if you're a retired player, I think it's a program where you play baseball sincerely. All of them were professional players, and they were friends with pride and pride as professionals. I will try to play baseball with sincerity."
soulhn1220@sportschosun.com
