Actually, I want to cry more than Youngchul, but last year's winning team is hard. Why is it so hard

Apr 12, 2025

Actually, I want to cry more than Youngchul, but last year's winning team is hard. Why is it so hard
The match between the KIA Tigers and the Samsung Lions at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 3rd. KIA manager Lee Bum-ho is deep in thought. Gwangju = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.04.03/



I thought it would be for a while, but the recovery is slower than I thought. Last year's winning team, KIA Tigers, has hardly overcome the stagnant atmosphere.

KIA has recently lost two consecutive games. After winning two games against the Lotte Giants in an away game in Busan this week, he lost the last one game, and lost to SSG Landers 3-9 at home in Gwangju on the 11th.

The team's performance fell back to ninth place. It is already 7.5 games behind the LG Twins, who are in first place. We have only played 16 games, but in fact, if the early gap widens too much, it will be difficult to chase.




In many ways, it doesn't work out as planned. KIA, which won the regular season with perfect teamwork and atmosphere last year and succeeded in winning the Korean Series 'integrated championship', was a strong candidate this year as well. It was considered the 'absolute first place'. But when I opened the lid, the atmosphere was completely opposite. Rather, LG is the momentum of 'Absolute 1st round', and KIA is completely relieved from its pitching.

Actually, I want to cry more than Youngchul, but last year's winning team is hard. Why is it so hard
The KIA infield team, which overcame the crisis of losing runs with two outs and runners on the second and third bases in the bottom of the sixth inning at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 10th, is welcomed by dugout teammates. Busan = Reporter's wook@sportschosun.com/2025.04.10/
Last year's MVP Kim Do-young's hamstring injury in the opening game was shocking, but that does not explain that the entire team has stagnated because of just one Kim Do-young. Last year, KIA was not pushed back in the flow fight even though there were so many injured players. Rather, whenever I met strong opponents such as LG and Samsung, I used to overpower the opponent with unexplained power. On the other hand, it was fortunate that one of the three away games against LG was canceled by rain this weekend for KIA this year.

Foreign pitchers are compliant, but Oler, who had high expectations, is not yet overwhelmed. Yang Hyun-jong and Yoon Young-chul are sluggish among the starters, but the bullpen, which was sluggish in the beginning, is now recovering little by little, centering on closer Jung Hae-young.




Actually, I want to cry more than Youngchul, but last year's winning team is hard. Why is it so hard
A game between KIA and Lotte at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 10th, KIA Yoon Young-chul is being replaced by handing the ball to pitching coach Jung Jae-hoon at the bottom of the second inning. Busan = Reporter's wook@sportschosun.com/2025.04.10/
The batting lineup also keeps getting offbeat. Wisdom hit five home runs, but struggled with a batting average in the early-20s and has no home runs in the last seven games. Even the best school hitter Kim Sun-bin will fall out due to injury, and except for Choi Hyung-woo, there are almost no hitters in the 30th, which makes the worry even deeper.

Coach Lee Bum-ho also made major lineup changes against underhand Park Jong-hoon on the 11th, deploying as many as seven left-handed batters and making Seo Geon-chang the first batter. Although the decision was made in consideration of the opponent's starting pitcher, it was a part of how desperate and worried he is about winning one game now.

Coach Lee Bum-ho, who met with reporters ahead of the weekend's three consecutive games in Gwangju, looked deeply troubled. Regarding Yoon Young-chul, who has been sluggish recently, he said, `In terms of ball power and speed, there is not much difference from last year. I think it's time to take a 6-7 month break after fatigue fracture and go back to the starting line" wrapped around it.




Actually, I want to cry more than Youngchul, but last year's winning team is hard. Why is it so hard
KIA won 3-1 against Lotte at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 9th. Nail, who became a winning pitcher, is sharing joy with manager Lee Bum-ho. Busan = Reporter's wook@sportschosun.com/2025.04.09/
As for Yoon Young-chul, who showed tears in the dugout after his poor performance against Lotte, "I fully understand his emotional appearance. However, as a professional player, he also needs to know how to relieve his anger by himself. I think it will be a great help for the game to grow. If everyone doesn't work out, I want to cry"I actually want to cry more than Young-chul. I wondered if he understood how I felt" is a joke that sublimates one's inner pain.

It was the 12th championship that veterans won by leading their juniors with communication with the players, soft charisma, and `strictly when it's strict, comfortably when it's convenient.' In particular, head coach Lee Bum-ho made a great achievement of winning the title in his debut season as a head coach. That's why the slump in the early second year is even more difficult.

In the match against SSG on the 11th, coaches convened a team meeting during the game and ordered the players to concentrate and increase the atmosphere again.

Kim Do-young and Kim Sun-bin are preparing to return, and fortunately, bullpen pitchers seem to be stabilizing. As there are still more than 120 games left, there is plenty of opportunity to make it.



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.