Baseball manager hopes to see new stars emerge at Asian Games

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Feb. 23 (Yonhap) -- As the new manager of the national baseball team, veteran skipper Ryu Joong-il will be chasing three rabbits.

One, he wants to have the proper process in putting the team together for the Hangzhou Asian Games in September. Two, the competitor in him wants to guide South Korea to its fourth consecutive Asian Games gold medal. And finally, he also wants to set Korean baseball on a course for a brighter future.

"It's always an honor to put on the national team uniform, whether as a player or a coach," Ryu said Wednesday, hours after being named the national team bench boss for the Sept. 10-25 Asiad in China. "But I can't afford to just sit here and feel good about myself. I feel the weight of responsibility."

The past two national team managers were criticized heavily for lacking transparency in player selection and making questionable in-game decisions. After winning the 2018 Asian Games gold medal, Sun Dong-yol resigned as manager while under fire for apparently picking some players just to get them exempt from mandatory military service. Kim Kyung-moon's South Korea finished a disappointing fourth out of six teams at the Tokyo Summer Olympics last year, and Kim was not retained afterward.

Ryu's hiring represents the first step in a new direction for South Korean baseball. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), which oversees pro baseball, used to handle all national team matters, including roster construction. But it will now work with the Korea Baseball Softball Association (KBSA), which handles the amateur side of the sport, to take collegiate players to the Asian Games while limiting the KBO's participation to players 24 or younger. And the KBSA, not the KBO, fielded applications for the managerial job and then announced Ryu as the new skipper Wednesday.

"First and foremost, I have to product the result. And in terms of player selection, we have to go through the process that people will find acceptable," Ryu said. "Since we're going with young KBO players only, we will have to identify and develop players that can usher in a bright future for the league."

But taking younger players, rather than more established veterans, doesn't mean Ryu will settle for anything less than gold.

"We've let our fans down at some recent international events, and the goal is obviously to win the gold medal," Ryu said. "It's important for young players competing in Hangzhou to taste success. I want them to feel the joy of standing on the top of the podium. Hopefully, we'll see new stars of the KBO emerge in Hangzhou."

Ryu, 58, has enjoyed plenty of success himself. He was a star shortstop for the Samsung Lions starting in the 1980s, a defensive whiz with speed and good on-base skills. He later managed the Lions to four consecutive Korean Series championships, from 2011 to 2014. With Ryu at the helm, South Korea won the gold medal at the 2014 Asian Games on home soil in Incheon.

Ryu's last KBO managerial gig was with the LG Twins from 2018 to 2020.

Having viewed the 2021 season through the prism of an outsider, Ryu said it was "unfortunate" that baseball's popularity took a hit during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It's been difficult for fans to watch games in person, and I think it has had a negative impact on players' focus and energy level on the field," Ryu said. "Hopefully, I can play a role in putting baseball back on the right track and inspiring people with our sport."

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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