The rise and fall of Kim Kyung-moon's leadership of the Eagles

The Hanwha Eagles had rarely been as close to a Korean Series title as they were last year under Kim Kyung-moon’s leadership — their first time contending in 19 years. But this year, they went into free fall and finished ninth in a 10-team league.

Now the Eagles are looking for a new manager to complete Kim’s mission.

“Hanwha gave me a way back into the dugout, and I’m grateful for it,” Kim said on the field at Suwon KT Wiz Park in Gyeonggi on June 4, 2024. The moment marked his return to the KBO for the first time in six years.

“I feel like I have to make it worth their while.”

But the results never quite matched that promise. On Saturday, two years and four months after taking charge, Kim announced his regret-filled departure ahead of Hanwha’s regular-season finale against the NC Dinos.

“Today is my last day with Hanwha,” he said. “I’m sorry to the fans that I couldn’t leave the team in a better place.”

The Eagles later confirmed his departure, and their farewell carried a note of appreciation.

“He helped lay the foundation for the team’s revival and guided the Eagles to their first Korean Series in 19 years and a runner-up finish,” the club said in a statement.

Kim was no stranger to the dugout. Before taking charge of Hanwha, the veteran spent 15 years managing the Doosan Bears and the NC Dinos, compiling 896 victories across 1,700 games. He managed the Bears from 2004 to June 2011, then the Dinos from August 2011 to June 2018.

With his 104 victories with Hanwha, Kim crossed the 1,000-win threshold. He is only the third manager in KBO history to achieve that feat, behind Kim Eung-yong, who amassed 1,554 wins, and Kim Sung-keun, who collected 1,388.

Kim Kyung-moon’s record stands at 1,078 wins, 39 draws and 958 losses across 2,075 games.

However, of the three managers with 1,000 wins, he is the only one without a Korean Series title. His pursuit of the title ended in three defeats with Doosan in 2005, 2007 and 2008; with NC in 2016; and with Hanwha last season.

Eighteen years in the dugout without a title spoke volumes about the trust that teams placed in Kim Kyung-moon’s leadership. But the fact that all five of his Korean Series appearances have ended in defeat is still a bitter pill to swallow.

His teams reached the Korean Series five times, each through the playoffs. Their opponents were always the regular-season champions, and the outcome was always the same.

Last season, the pieces seemed to be in place for a different ending.

For once, Hanwha had answers at both ends of its pitching staff. Cody Ponce and Ryan Weiss anchored the rotation as perhaps the franchise’s finest starting duo, while Kim Seo-hyeon settled the closer question.

Then came a cruel twist. Kim Seo-hyeon, the closer who had helped steady Hanwha’s bullpen, gave up a devastating walk-off homer late in the season, and the Eagles lost first place to the LG Twins. His pitches lost their bite, and his command deserted him.

But Kim Kyung-moon refused to give up on the man who had delivered 33 saves, even in the postseason. What had once looked like conviction began to resemble stubbornness, and his decision ultimately damaged his reputation as a manager.

This season brought more trouble, almost from the start.

Hanwha’s new foreign pitchers struggled, hampered by injuries and subpar performances. Hard-throwing starter Moon Dong-ju underwent surgery. Kim Seo-hyeon lost his command and found himself on a revolving door between the first team and the minors. Twenty-year-old Jeong Woo-joo hit a sophomore slump. Stability on the mound proved elusive all season.

For much of the season, Kim Kyung-moon faced one uncertainty after another as he tried to piece together a functioning pitching staff; by the second half, Hanwha’s season had gone off the rails. The Eagles lost their sense of purpose and sank to ninth place.

Kim Kyung-moon had been hired to win a championship. Instead, he was left to find consolation in developing young talent.

“It’s frustrating,” he often said.

Before his arrival, four consecutive Hanwha managers left midseason: Kim Sung-keun in May 2017; Han Yong-duk in June 2020; Carlos Subero in May 2023; and Choi Won-ho in May 2024.

Kim Kyung-moon became the first Hanwha manager in nearly a decade to serve out his full contract. Of the three clubs he has managed, he has only lasted through the final game of a season with Hanwha.

The Eagles have said that they would “step up efforts to appoint a new manager.” The leading candidate is Ryu Ji-hyun, who managed the LG Twins from 2021 to 2022 and guided Korea to the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals and gold at this year’s Asian Games.

BY BAE YOUNG-EUN [[email protected]]