KBO club Landers fire manager Kim Won-hyong

SSG Landers manager Kim Won-hyong watches his team play the NC Dinos during Game 2 of the first round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon, Oct. 23. Yonhap

On the heels of a failed title defense, the Korean baseball club SSG Landers announced Tuesday they have fired manager Kim Won-hyong, less than a year after making him the highest-paid skipper in the league.

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club said they terminated their deal with Kim because they needed to "implement change and innovation" to bring about sustainable development for the Landers.

Kim, who took over the club in 2021, guided the Landers to the Korean Series championship in 2022, capping a historic run during which they led the regular season wire-to-wire.

Then immediately after winning the title, the Landers handed Kim a three-year extension worth 2.16 billion won ($1.6 million), making him the highest-paid manager in the league at the time.

But in this year's postseason, they got swept in three games by the NC Dinos in the best-of-five first round last week. The Landers had the third-best record in the regular season at 76-65-3 (wins-losses-ties).

SSG Landers manager Kim Won-hyong, center, argues a call with umpires during Game 2 of the first-round series against the NC Dinos in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon, Oct. 23. Yonhap

In a statement, the Landers insisted the decision to fire Kim was not a knee-jerk reaction to the team's early postseason exit.

"Following the end of the postseason, we conducted a thorough, objective internal review. We concluded that we needed to implement change and innovation for the continuous growth of the team," the club said. "And we decided we should make the decision sooner rather than later. Initially, we looked into overhauling the roster and the coaching staff, and decided to make the managerial change too."

The decision to let Kim go was reached Tuesday morning, and general manager Kim Sung-yong contacted Kim Won-hyong with the news around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Landers said.

When reached by phone, Kim Won-hyong told Yonhap News Agency that he felt the team's disappointing postseason performance sealed his fate.

"I was informed of that decision today, and since the team made the decision, I have to follow along with it. It must have been a tough move on their part, too," Kim said. "I hope people don't rush to any conclusions on the circumstances behind this move. I believe the team made this call because we didn't play well this year.

"Ultimately, I wasn't good enough," Kim added. "I'll just take some time off and unwind." (Yonhap)