The Korea Professional Baseball Kiwoom Heroes have decided to part ways early with manager Hong Won-ki, whose contract is set to expire.
Kiwoom will part ways with manager Hong Won-ki ahead of the second half of the season. Assistant coach Jeol Jong-jin will serve as acting manager, while hitting coach Oh Yun will take over as the 2nd team manager.
Manager Hong Won-ki took office in January 2021. In his first year, he recorded 70 wins, 7 draws, and 67 losses with a winning percentage of .511, finishing 5th in the league and achieving success by advancing to the postseason. In 2022, he recorded 80 wins, 2 draws, and 62 losses with a winning percentage of .563, finishing 3rd in the regular season and causing a stir in the postseason by successfully reaching the Korean Series for the third time since its founding and securing the runner-up position.
After achieving the runner-up position in the Korean Series, manager Hong Won-ki successfully re-signed for a total of 1.4 billion won (14억원) for three years immediately following the end of the Korean Series. Kiwoom expressed its ambition for victory by acquiring Won Jong-hyun (2.5 billion won for four years) and Lee Hyung-jong (2 billion won for four years) ahead of the 2023 season.
However, as a result, following the 2022 Korean Series victory, Kiwoom entered an unintentional rebuilding phase. In 2023, star player Lee Jung-hoo could not participate in many games due to injury, and both Won Jong-hyun and Lee Hyung-jong did not perform as expected. Ace pitcher Ahn Woo-jin underwent Tommy John surgery in the second half of the season. Ultimately, Kiwoom finished the season in last place with 58 wins, 3 draws, and 83 losses, achieving a winning percentage of .411.
After the 2023 season, Lee Jung-hoo moved to Major League Baseball, and Kiwoom once again remained in last place (58 wins, 86 losses, winning percentage of .403) last season. As the team's strength rapidly deteriorated, manager Hong Won-ki could not find a breakthrough. This year, they gambled by employing two foreign hitters, Yasiel Puig and Ruben Cardenas, but the results were also disappointing. Both Puig and Cardenas had underwhelming performances, and Kiwoom replaced Puig with Raul Alcantara, acknowledging the failure of the gamble with two foreign hitters.
Kiwoom has recorded 27 wins, 3 draws, and 61 losses this season with a winning percentage of .307, remaining at the bottom of the league. If it finishes the season this way, it will mark three consecutive last-place finishes. Since the establishment of the 10-team system, only the newly established KT from 2015 to 2017 and Hanwha from 2020 to 2022 have recorded three consecutive last-place finishes.
Manager Hong Won-ki, who is in his final year of contract this year, has ultimately stepped down, taking responsibility for the poor performance and not completing his term. He achieved success by advancing to the postseason in consecutive years after his appointment and securing the runner-up position in the Korean Series, but he remained in last place for three years, recording a career total of 293 wins, 15 draws, and 359 losses, with a winning percentage of .439.
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