3-year total of 2.4 billion is the highest for an active director
Lotte fired Sung Min-gyu
Baseball team Lotte is handing over the reins to SBS Sports commentator Kim Tae-hyung (56-photo).
Lotte announced on Tuesday that it has appointed Kim Tae-hyung as its 21st head coach. Kim is returning to professional baseball one year after stepping down as manager of Doosan. The contract is worth a total of 2.4 billion won ($600 million in signing bonus and $600 million in annual salary) over three years, tied with KT manager Lee Kang-cheol (57) for the largest contract among active managers.
Kim has been known as a “fox in a bear’s skin” since his playing days at Doosan. He was a clubhouse leader with a charisma that could make even foreign players freeze in their tracks, and a catcher with a knack for mixing up his pitches. After taking the helm of his hometown team Doosan in 2015, he led them to the Korean Series for seven consecutive years until 2021. It was the first time in the history of the KBO.
Lotte hadn’t made the postseason in six years, from 2017 (when they finished third in the regular season) until this year. Because of this, there was a growing consensus among Lotte fans that the team should hire a dragon general-style manager. “I understand the weight of being the head coach of Lotte,” Kim said. I will fulfill the expectations of the fans who have been waiting for a long time and deliver results.”
Along with the announcement of the new head coach, Lotte also announced the dismissal of team manager Sung Min-kyu (41). A new head coach has yet to be named. 슬롯사이트