At Media Day, which was held prior to the opening of the 2023 season, not a single command tower predicted Doosan, who was coached by Lee Seung-yeop, as a candidate for the quarterfinals.
The 2023 KBO League Media Day was held at the Grand Ballroom of the Grand Hyatt Seoul on March 30th. Managers of 10 clubs were asked, ‘Please pick two teams that you are likely to meet in fall baseball’. LG and KT, which have strong mounds and stable pitching 메이저놀이터balance, were mentioned the most, while Doosan, along with Lotte, were excluded from the fall baseball candidates altogether.
At the time, director Lee Seung-yeop said, “I am grateful for the calm evaluation of the directors. The Doosan Bears didn’t get a single vote,” he said bitterly. “As expected, pitching power is important in baseball. I think LG and KT will definitely go to the postseason.”
Doosan selected Lee Seung-yeop, the “national hitter,” as the right person to renovate the team, which stayed in ninth place for the first time in its founding last year. Coach Lee, who became the first coach, had a difficult day after the opening of the season, suffering a series of injuries and various trials and errors. Through gum baseball, he succeeded in holding on to a 50% win rate in April and May, but ended with a 10-14 loss in June, and the first crisis after taking office came, and at that time, the prospect of being excluded from the top 5 of the Media Day commanders seemed to become a reality.
Doosan used the Ulsan-Pohang six-game series in early July as an opportunity to rebound. Despite the poor environment, the 2nd field expedition continued, starting with the Ulsan Lotte 3-game winning series, Pohang Samsung and Jamsil Kiwoom 3 consecutive games, followed by 4 wins, 1 draw and 11 losses last year. and won a thrilling come-from-behind victory on the 12th. It was the moment when he achieved 9 consecutive victories in 5 years.
Doosan eventually broke the expectations of all experts and finished the first half in 3rd place. They recorded 42 wins, 1 draw and 36 losses in 79 games, narrowing their lead against second place SSG to 4 games, and had an All-Star break. Doosan, who had been worried about the 50% win rate throughout the season, has risen to a position where it can surpass the second place.
Director Lee, whom we met in Incheon on the 13th, said, “At the time of Media Day, people around us predicted that, but expectations can be overturned at any time. Because there are many variables. If it goes as expected, professional baseball is no fun,” he said with a relaxed smile and said, “We knew we were lacking, but we thought that if we prepared and did what we thought, even if we couldn’t go to the top, we wouldn’t be an easy team.” .
He said, “No matter what people say, let’s do what we have to do and what we can and accept the results. Fortunately, at the end of the first half, it is fortunate that we were able to achieve a win rate of more than 50%. Of course, I shouldn’t put my mind down, but I think I’ll be able to sleep a little.”
Doosan, which cracked the second round system thanks to a 9-game win in July, will challenge for a higher place in the second half. Coach Lee said, “Honestly, I’m not sure of the higher ranking,” but added, “I will prepare to maintain my performance in July. As you know, Choi Won-joon got better with the 3 sure starters, and Kim Dong-ju also got enough rest. If the pitchers can hold on and the batters can maintain their sense of July, I think it’s worth a try. I will do my best in every game and try to win one more time.”