Kia Tigers players celebrate winning the Korean Series title following a 7-5 win over the Samsung Lions in Game 5 at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, 270 kilometers south of Seoul, on Oct. 28, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap) GWANGJU, Oct.
28 (Korea Bizwire) — The Kia Tigers had a rocky start to the 2024 season, as their manager Kim Jong-kook was fired just before the start of spring training due to bribery allegations. Hitting coach Lee Bum-ho was promoted to take over as their new manager. The 42-year-old immediately became the youngest manager in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), with no prior managing experience, either.
Dispelling concerns about his lack of experience, Lee guided the Tigers to the best record in the regular season at 87-55-2 (wins-losses-ties), a comfortable nine games ahead of the Samsung Lions. These two rivals clashed in the Korean Series, and the Tigers dispatched them in five games, punctuating with a 7-5, come-from-behind victory in Game 5 at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, 270 kilometers south of Seoul. It made Lee the second-youngest manager to win a Korean Series title in his first season at 42 years, 11 months and three days old.
He is also the third manager ever to win both the regular-season and the Korean Series titles in the first year in charge, joining two former Lions skippers: Sun Dong-yol in 2005 and Ryu Joong-il in 2011. Lee said he didn’t have a doubt he would be able to win a title with the Tigers, though per.