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Manager for struggling ball club resigns

October 18, 2018

SEOUL, Oct. 18 (Yonhap) — Kim Jin-wook, manager of the struggling South Korean baseball club KT Wiz, resigned from his post on Thursday.

In Kim’s two seasons on the bench, the Wiz finished in last place in the 10-team Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) in 2017 and in ninth place this year.

The Wiz said Kim offered to resign at the end of the regular season last Sunday and they accepted it Thursday.

The Wiz went 59-82-3 (wins-losses-ties) in their fourth KBO season. They had won 50, 53 and 52 games in each of the three previous seasons.

Kim is leaving with one year left on his contract. The Wiz said he will stay on as technical advisor.

Kim’s resignation means the two bottom feeders from the 2018 season will both have new managers next year. The NC Dinos, which finished in last place, promoted their defensive coach Lee Dong-wook to the managerial post.

In other changes, the Wiz named hitting coach Lee Soong-yong their new general manager.

The former All-STar first baseman had been on the Wiz’s staff from Day 1.

In this file photo from June 28, 2018, Kim Jin-wook, then manager of the KT Wiz, looks out to the field at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul, after his team's Korea Baseball Organization regular season game against the LG Twins was rained out. Kim resigned from his post on Oct. 18, 2018. (Yonhap)

In this file photo from June 28, 2018, Kim Jin-wook, then manager of the KT Wiz, looks out to the field at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul, after his team’s Korea Baseball Organization regular season game against the LG Twins was rained out. Kim resigned from his post on Oct. 18, 2018. (Yonhap)