The LG Twins have broken up after 29 years. Who’s next?
LG’s regular season and Korean Series titles are significant because they are the first time in 29 years that a team has done so, since 1994. On the 13th, the day LG clinched the title, cars couldn’t get into Jamsil Stadium in the afternoon and didn’t leave for a long time after the game.토토사이트
Surprisingly, there is a team in the KBO that hasn’t won a championship for longer than LG. That team is the Lotte Giants. Lotte won the Korean Series twice, in 1984 and 1992. Until this year, they hadn’t won in 31 years.
They’ve also struggled to make the postseason. They had their password years in the early 2000s and made the postseason all three years under former manager Jerry Royster, but in the 2010s they became a team accustomed to missing the postseason again. Since 2017, they have missed the postseason for six consecutive years.
Lotte hired manager Kim Tae-hyung after this season. He led the team to seven consecutive Korean Series titles, including three with the Doosan Bears, and is known for maximizing his team’s potential. Even if Lotte doesn’t turn things around overnight, the team should improve under Kim’s tenure.
The Hanwha Eagles haven’t won a title in 24 years, since 1999. Like Lotte, they have a long dark period. They have missed the postseason for five straight years since 2018. They’re no stranger to last place, and this season they finished ninth, losing the title to the Kiwoom Heroes.
It’s hard to see them winning the title anytime soon. After hiring Choi Won-ho, the team has turned from rebuilding to winning. The first priority is to return to the postseason. In that regard, it’s unfortunate for Hanwha that Ryu Hyun-jin (36, free agent) became a virtual lock to return this winter.
Kiwoom finished in last place for the second time in 12 years after 2011. They curiously purchased outside free agents and challenged for the top of the Korean Series, but fell apart due to injuries to their mainstays. With the departure of Lee Jung-hoo (25), there is a prevailing view that the team will go through a retooling process until next year, but it is also pointed out that it is not easy due to the reality of the KBO League. In any case, you have to do your best with the power you have. Only then can you rebuild.
Kiwoom hasn’t won a Korean Series title since its inception in 2008. NC Dinos and KT Wiz, both late entrants to the league, reached the pinnacle in 2020 and 2021. Currently, they are the only one of the 10 teams without a Korean Series title. In a way, it’s a matter of pride.