Twins determined to augment strengths in KBO title defense

LG Twins manager Youm Kyoung-youb believes his team is the best in Korean baseball when it comes to fundamentals. And as the Twins try to win their second straight Korean Series title in 2026, Youm wants his players to double down on their strengths.

"In offense, defense and baserunning, being on top of all the details is a must, and I think we're better than any team in that regard," Youm said during the annual Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season-opening media day in Seoul. "I think it's important to augment our strengths. The focus of our offseason training has been on executing fundamentals, so that we can play high quality, entertaining games that can bring joy to our fans."

The Twins held off the Hanwha Eagles for the 2025 Korean Series title, their second championship in three seasons and will try to become the first KBO team in 10 years to repeat as champions.

"We clinched our title in October, and then in November, we set our sights on winning our second straight title," Youm said. "We will have our good days and bad days over the course of the season, and hopefully, we will have the last laugh."

The Eagles made a valiant run toward their first title since 1999 behind dominant pitching from their two aces, Cody Ponce and Ryan Weiss. Both are now in the majors, and manager Kim Kyung-moon said he will count on his batters to do the heavy lifting this year.

"Our pitching staff delivered us so many wins last year, and this season, our hitters will have to pick up the slack in the early going," said Kim, whose team had a middling offense by several metrics in 2025. "We want to play an entertaining brand of baseball for our fans."

Managers for other postseason contestants last year said they would love nothing more than another opportunity to play meaningful games in October.

"Last year, we proved experts wrong and finished in third place," SSG Landers manager Lee Sung-yong said. "We had a disappointing run in the postseason, but we will try to be the last team standing this year. We will prove that last year was not a fluke."

Samsung Lions manager Park Jin-man, whose team was eliminated in the penultimate stage of the postseason, said the Lions are ready to take the next step.

"Our players are ready to lift the championship trophy," Park said. "Our veterans have established a great culture for younger guys so that everyone can focus on baseball regardless of their age. I think this will give our team extra boost."

The Doosan Bears will open the season under new manager Kim Won-hyong after missing the postseason in 2025. Kim, a former pitching coach for the Bears, said he is ready to take the team back to contention.

"We put in a ton of work during the offseason and spring training, and I want the players to keep throwing their bodies around and playing hard," Kim said. "This is a great franchise. We're better than what our record showed last year, and we will prove that this year."

The Kia Tigers failed to make the postseason in 2025, a year after winning the Korean Series, a stunning fall caused by injuries to some key players. Manager Lee Bum-ho said he was eager for a fresh start.

"We've experienced glory and despair the last two years, and we'll forget all about them this year and try to put together a better season," Lee said. "We're sorry to our fans that we didn't get to play postseason baseball, and we'll try to change that this year."

Lotte Giants skipper Kim Tae-hyoung will be shorthanded at the start of the season, with four players having been suspended for 30 to 50 games over illegal overseas gambling charges — "Well, I've now seen everything," Kim quipped — but they still finished first in the preseason. And Kim said he's pleased with where the team stands.

"I feel like the guys have taken a big step, and we have a tighter group," Kim said. "We had a great preseason, and hopefully, we can sustain this in the regular season."

Kiwoom Heroes skipper Seol Jong-jin, who was promoted from interim position after last season, declared a rather modest goal for the new season after the Heroes finished in last place in each of the past three years.

"This year, we will try to get out of the cellar," Seol said. "We will surprise people."