Doosan must contend with the unexpected resignation of manager Lee Seung-yup starting from the KIA Tigers game on the 3rd in a caretaker system. Will they hasten the appointment of the next leader to quickly stabilize the chaos, or will they aim for stability with interim manager Cho Sung-hwan, who is familiar with Doosan?

The Doosan Bears organization officially announced in a press release on the afternoon of the 2nd, "Manager Lee Seung-yup has resigned voluntarily."

On the afternoon of the 2nd, manager Lee Seung-yup visited the Doosan office at Jamsil Stadium and held meetings with CEO Ko Young-seob and Director General Kim Tae-ryong in succession. The manager expressed his intention to resign voluntarily, stating, "I will take responsibility for the poor performance this season," and after the organization deliberated, they accepted his resignation and appointed coach Cho Sung-hwan as the interim manager.

Since the launch of professional baseball in 1982, there have been a total of four interim managers for the Bears. Lee Jae-woo in June 1990, Yun Dong-kyun in August 1991, Choi Joo-eok in September 1994, and Kim Kwang-soo in June 2011 were appointed as caretakers to stabilize the chaos. After Kim Kwang-soo stepped down, all managers—Kim Jin-wook (2011–2013), Song Il-soo (2014), and Kim Tae-hyoung (2015–2022)—left Doosan after their terms ended, and now Doosan is encountering an interim management system for the first time in 14 years as Lee Seung-yup has not completed the last year of his contract.

Manager Lee Seung-yup has become the first Bears manager since Kim Kyung-moon, who resigned mid-season in June 2011, not to complete his contract in 14 years.

When a manager steps down, the head coach typically takes on the role of interim manager. However, Doosan entrusted the interim position to coach Cho Sung-hwan, not head coach Ko To-go.

In mid-April, Doosan's head coach Ko To-go assumed the dual role of third base coach, assisting manager Lee Seung-yup in a Ko-To-go-Cho Sung-hwan double head coach system. Coach Ko moved to third base during offensive play to perform third base coaching duties, and during defensive play, he took on the role of head coach next to Lee Seung-yup. The vacancy created by coach Ko leaving for third base was filled by coach Cho Sung-hwan.

It seems that coach Cho Sung-hwan was favored as he could directly manage without the need for an interpreter, unlike coach Ko. Coach Cho is well-known as a leader who communicates effectively with the players and has been taking on an overall managerial role for the offense, baserunning, and defense. The main job of the QC coach also involves communication with the players.

Cho Sung-hwan, who was a star player for the Lotte Giants during his active career, began his coaching career as the defensive coach for Doosan's first team in 2018 and coached their defense for three years during the Doosan dynasty. After serving as the defensive coach for the Hanwha Eagles for two years starting in 2021, he returned to Doosan in 2023, coaching the first team’s defense for two years and this year took on the role of QC coach to assist manager Lee Seung-yup and oversee the team. He is the coach who knows the internal affairs of the Doosan team the best among the current coaching staff.

Doosan plans to stabilize the situation under Cho Sung-hwan's leadership for the time being. A Doosan official stated in a phone call with OSEN on the 2nd, "Due to manager Lee Seung-yup's unexpected voluntary resignation, we have not been able to make any preparations regarding the next manager. For now, we plan to operate the season under Cho Sung-hwan's leadership."

Coach Cho Sung-hwan has been recognized for his leadership and has frequently been mentioned as a candidate whenever a KBO League manager position opens. Depending on the capabilities he demonstrates as interim manager, it is possible that he could be promoted to permanent manager. The direction of Doosan is expected to be influenced by the performance in the upcoming month and a half of the first half of the season.

[OSEN]