A 29-year championship is just the beginning as LG sets out to b
First in regular season batting average, ERA, and more
Won the overall championship with solid power
Successful player development and FA recruitment
"V for next year, too," says first-time champion manager Yoon Kyung-yup
After 29 years of winning the Korean Series, LG Baseball"s players have earned a great honor that money can"t buy, and there"s a lot of money waiting for them on top of their salaries. LG receives about 3 billion won in postseason dividends from the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO). Add in the team bonus of 1.5 billion won, and they"ll share about 4.5 billion won. This is the "taste of victory" that only players on a winning team can enjoy.
Oh, Ji-Hwan
But LG"s eyes are already set on higher ground. Coach Yeom Kyung-yeop, who led LG to the top, said after the championship on the 13th, "This is just the beginning. We will continue to run next year and the year after." Captain Oh Ji-hwan, who was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Korean Series, added: "We will enjoy a dynasty. We want to play baseball for a long time with this team."
It"s certainly a possibility. This year, LG won the overall championship with a dominant performance that overwhelmed the other nine teams. LG hasn"t lost the top spot in the regular season since June 27 of this year. They led the league in team batting average (0.279), team ERA (3.67), and team stolen bases (166). LG had the deepest roster, regardless of pitching, and the smallest gap between starters and backups.
After becoming one of the most popular teams in the 1990s with "New Wave Baseball," LG went through a dark decade from 2003 to 2012. The team couldn"t decide between winning and developing players, and changed managers frequently. Rookie players also failed to develop properly, earning the team the stigma of being a "graveyard of promise. There were many players who realized their potential after leaving LG, such as Park Byung-ho (KT).
However, LG has now become one of the best at developing young players. Oh Ji-hwan, Hong Chang-ki, Moon Bo-kyung, and Moon Sung-joo, who were all in the starting lineup for the Korean Series, were all drafted by LG and made the leap from debut to starter. Closer Ko Woo-seok and the pitching staff of Jung Woo-young, Lee Jung-yong, Yoo Young-chan, and Baek Seung-hyun were all scouted by LG and grew up through LG"s development system.
Weak positions were filled with big-money free agents. In late 2017, LG signed outfielder Kim Hyun-soo from Major League Baseball (MLB) for four years and 11.5 billion won. Four years later, it retained Kim for 4+2 years for 11.5 billion won. Outfielder Park Hae-min, who was acquired in late 2021 for 4 years and 6 billion won, played both offense and defense. Catcher Park Dong-won, who was acquired for 4.5 billion won ($6.5 million) ahead of this season, was instrumental in winning the Korean Series with a solid pitching lead.
After reaching the postseason each time from 2019 to last year, LG"s players fell short of expectations, but this year"s Korean Series win gave them valuable experience. "Our team has a good mix of old and new," said Yeom. If we can develop one or two more young players every year, we can become a consistent powerhouse. We have just taken the first step."