LG, Doosan skippers reflect as historic Seoul stadium nears farewell

As two Seoul rivals in Korean baseball geared up for their final regular-season meeting at an iconic stadium on Wednesday, the clubs' managers took a moment to reflect on their memories at the venue.

The LG Twins hosted the Doosan Bears at Jamsil Baseball Stadium on Wednesday evening. The two clubs have shared Jamsil as their home since the Bears moved from the central city of Daejeon to the capital in 1985. The stadium will be torn down after this KBO season to make room for a new domed ballpark.

The two clubs could meet again in the postseason, which starts next week with the wild card round, and either could secure home-field advantage depending on how they perform in their remaining games.

That is precisely why Twins manager Youm Kyoung-youb described Wednesday's contest as the latest "must-win game" for his team down the stretch.

The Twins, who were No. 1 in early July, entered Wednesday's game at No. 4 and in danger of ceding that spot to the Bears, who sat two games back at No. 5 with two to play.

The Twins had lost eight of their past 10 going into the game, while the Bears had won eight of their last 10."We are in a situation where we have to keep on winning," Youm said in his pregame media availability. "We would love to send our fans home with a win in this last game."

Youm briefly reflected on his time at Jamsil. He led the Twins to two Korean Series titles in the past three years, and they clinched the 2023 championship at the Seoul stadium. In 1991, Youm played his very first game and got his first career hit as a visiting player at Jamsil, too.

"This place means a lot to me," Youm said, looking out toward the field from the first-base dugout. "And we will try to play our best in this meaningful game."

Youm's counterpart, Kim Won-hyong, was a star pitcher in the 1990s but said he had few memorable moments at Jamsil. His favorite memory came as a pitching coach for the Bears in 2019, when they caught the SK Wyverns, now the SSG Landers, for No. 1 on the last day of the regular season and went on to capture the Korean Series title as well.

But Kim said the significance of Wednesday's affair, especially with where the teams are in the last days of the regular season, was not lost on him.

"Games between our two clubs have always felt special, regardless of our positions in the standings," Kim said. "I am trying to stay calm and composed for tonight."

The Bears will have their home finale next Monday against the Lotte Giants.

Yonhap