SSG head coach Kim Won-hyung looks at the ground during the semi-final match between the NC Dinos and SSG Landers in the third round of the baseball ‘2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO Postseason’ at Changwon NC Park in Yangdeok-dong, Masanmyeon-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongnam, on October 25.
The SSG Landers, who ended the 2023 season with three consecutive losses to the NC Dinos in the semifinals, have announced a surprise suspension of head coach Kim Won-hyung.
The SSG organization announced the news of Kim’s dismissal on Oct. 31, saying, “We have decided that changes and innovations are needed, including the overall team operation and player generation change.”
Kim took over as SSG’s first head coach in 2021. In his first year, the team finished sixth and missed the postseason, and in his second year, the team won the wire-to-wire title last year.
This season, after jumping out to an early lead, the team faltered in the middle of the season and dropped to sixth place, but made a late surge to finish third and earn a spot in the semifinals.
However, fall baseball didn’t go so well. They lost all three games to NC and ended the season on a low note.
SSG was looking forward to next year’s offseason camp, but the team received an unexpected blow when the head coach was fired.
“In order to revitalize the team and transform it into a stronger, more beloved team, changes were inevitable,” said an SSG representative, “We initially planned to make changes to the players and coaching staff, but we have expanded the scope to include on-field leadership.”
“We will begin the hiring process again with a diverse pool of managerial candidates. We look forward to finding a manager who can bring even more fun baseball to our fans at the ballpark.” 19가이드03