1st-year KBO club manager learning value of short memory

▲ Doosan Bears manager Lee Seung-yuop (2nd from R) bumps fists with pitcher Jeong Cheol-won (L) after a 3-2 victory over the Kia Tigers in a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, about 270 kilometers south of Seoul, on April 9, 2023. (Yonhap)

KBO team-manager

1st-year KBO club manager learning value of short memory

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, April 14 (Yonhap) -- Managing for the first time under a bright spotlight, Doosan Bears skipper Lee Seung-yuop says he has learned the importance of forgetting things quickly.

In particular, Lee has been trying not to dwell on losses or even moments within a game where he thought he could have done things differently. Speaking to reporters Friday before facing the LG Twins at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, Lee said he isn't one to lose sleep over small things.

"If I get emotional with every win and every loss, I will be too stressed out. I don't think I am that type of person, anyway," Lee said. "Obviously, I can't just relax and shrug off every loss. I do think about certain situations from games and wonder if I should have used a different pitcher or different pinch hitter, for instance. That's part of the job. But once I arrive at the ballpark the next day, it's time to think about the new game in front of us."

Under Lee's guidance, the Bears are off to a 6-4 start, a solid record for a team that few pundits picked as a playoff contender. But Lee, the greatest home run hitter in Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) history with 467 career long balls, said the best is yet to come.

"I wish we would have won a couple more games. We have guys that really want to win and that are capable of winning," Lee said. "As the weather gets warmer, our hitters will start making better contact, and our pitchers will get better. I don't think this is the best version of ourselves."

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