KBO-worst Heroes promote interim manager to full-time position
This photo shows Kiwoom Heroes interim manager Seol Jong-jin following his first meeting with the Korea Baseball Organization club at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, July 15. Yonhap
The Kiwoom Heroes, the last-place club in Korean baseball this season, announced Sunday they have promoted interim manager Seol Jong-jin to take over as their full-time bench boss.
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club signed Seol, 52, to a two-year contract worth 600 million won ($425,530), with an annual salary of 200 million won and a signing bonus of 200 million won.
Seol, who served as the Heroes' minor league manager for six seasons starting in 2020, took over from Hong Won-ki as interim skipper on July 14, with the Heroes mired in last place in the 10-team league with a win-loss-tie record of 27-61-3. On Seol's watch, the Heroes have gone 20-30-1, the eighth-best record in the KBO in that span.
"I'd like to thank the club for giving me this opportunity," Seol said. "I will do my best to help the team take the next step during my tenure."
The Heroes reached the Korean Series only three years ago, losing to the SSG Landers in six games but then finished in last place in each of the next two seasons. They missed key players, such as former league MVP Lee Jung-hoo and starting pitcher An Woo-jin, for extended stretches due to injuries, with Lee leaving for Major League Baseball after the 2023 season. Another All-Star member of the team, infielder Kim Hye-seong, also went to the majors last offseason.
The Heroes virtually clinched the worst record in the league before the All-Star break this year. With two games remaining this season, the Heroes are 13 games back of the ninth-ranked Doosan Bears.