Win or Go Home: KIA Coach Lee Beom-ho Sets Sights on Gwangju Victory

KIA Tigers coach Lee Beom-ho expressed his determination to do his best to help the team lift the championship trophy at their home stadium.

On the 28th, Coach Beom-ho Lee met with reporters at Gwangju Kia Champions Field, where Game 5 of the 2024 KBO Korean Series was held, and said, “I spent 14 years as a player at KIA and am now a coach, but what I really wanted to achieve was a championship trophy, which was held only once in Gwangju. “I really wanted to do it one more time,” he said.

He continued, “I have been running with the goal of winning in Gwangju. Thanks to the good performance of the players and the support of the fans, I was given the opportunity to hold the 5th game in Gwangju. I will do my best to play.” I raised it.

Coach Lee Beom-ho, who emphasized that “there are still games left and we are not at the point where we can let down our guard,” said, “I think if we do well at home, we can achieve something meaningful, so I will think that there will be no games after today’s game and that it will be the last.” He emphasized.

Regarding the return to the lineup of player Choi Hyeong-woo, who was previously excluded from the 4th game due to a back injury, it was revealed that there was no problem at all with his participation.

Coach Lee Beom-ho said, “After consulting with the training department this morning, there is no problem with his participation,” and added, “He is a player who would have said he would not play if he was not in good condition, but even though it was a big game, he was fine, so he would have said it was okay.”

Regarding Yoon Young-cheol, who did not pitch even once in this Korean Series, the possibility of a bullpen was suggested.

Manager Lee Beom-ho said, “If (starting pitcher) Hyun-jong pitches well for about 5 innings, things will go as we expected,” and “If Hyun-jong is not good in the early stages, we will prepare Yoon Young-cheol and Kim Do-hyun first, and we will have a sure-win team in the mid to late stages.” “Before writing, either Youngcheol or Dohyeon will use it while looking at the situation.”

With only one win left until his 12th overall championship, he gave credit to the voices around him praising Coach Beom-ho Lee’s ‘older brother leadership’ by saying, “It was possible because the players played proper baseball, the type of baseball they pursue in their own way.” .

Coach Beom-ho Lee said, “I thought that if we created an environment where players could understand the players’ tendencies rather than the coach and play, the players on our team would move, and I think that worked well and we achieved good results this season.”

He also emphasized, “I think it would be best for the players to prepare with that mindset so that they can achieve just as important results next season as they did this season.”

Copyright@ KWANGJU BROADCASTING COMPANY. all rights reserved.