(LEAD) New KBO club manager sets lofty goals

▲ LG Twins' manager Ryu Ji-hyun speaks during his inaugural press conference at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Nov. 19, 2020. (Yonhap)

(LEAD) baseball club-manager

(LEAD) New KBO club manager sets lofty goals

(ATTN: ADDS 2nd photo, comments throughout)

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Nov. 19 (Yonhap) -- The LG Twins haven't won a South Korean baseball title since 1994. The club's new manager Ryu Ji-hyun would like nothing more than to end the drought next year, his first as the bench boss.

"I'll try my best to take this team to the postseason and beyond," Ryu said in his inaugural press conference Thursday at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. Ryu was promoted from bench coach to manager last Friday, and agreed to a two-year deal worth 900 million won (US$807,250), which includes a signing bonus of 300 million won.

"I'd like to thank the club for giving me this great opportunity," Ryu added. "I've been a part of the Twins for 27 years. This team is like my destiny and my family."

Ryu, 49, established himself as a Twins franchise icon during his All-Star playing days. He spent his entire 11-year Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) career with the Seoul-based team, and won the Rookie of the Year and the Korean Series championship in 1994.

After hanging up his cleats, Ryu has been serving on the Twins' coaching staff in multiple capacities, including as a baserunning coach and an infield coach. He'd been the bench coach from 2018 to 2020, before earning his promotion.

The Twins were eliminated in the first round of this year's postseason. Former manager Ryu Joong-il resigned in the immediate aftermath. His contract had expired at the season's end and the Twins were contemplating whether to extend him.

"We had a disappointing season this year, and we have to prepare hard for next year," Ryu Ji-hyun said. "Rather than trying to force my own ways on the players, I think my job is to bring out the best in those players."

Ryu said he would like his players to be aggressive on the field and also to pay closer attention to detail.

"Objectively speaking, I think our team lacked that attention to detail this year, and it held us back at key moments," Ryu said. "I think I know these players (having coached them for many years), and I am sure they know me inside out. I think it'll save us time trying to get to know each other before spring training."

Ryu is an analytically savvy type who has embraced the use of advanced data. Ryu said his main focus as the bench coach over the past three seasons has been on fielding, and he's now ready to dive into numbers in other areas.

"My first task as the manager is to look into pitching," he said. "My first meeting was with our pitching instructors. I will continue to study tendencies of our pitchers."

Ryu also said the head of the Twins' data analysis department will have a seat in coaches' meetings, which he hopes will keep an open line of communication between coaches on the field and number crunchers in the front office.

"I think it will lead to better ideas," Ryu added.

Asked about the Twins' famously passionate fanbase, Ryu said, "I know some players may feel stressed out because our fans are too demanding. But if these fans don't give us the support that they do, then we wouldn't even be playing this game.

The Twins also named their former star catcher Kim Dong-soo as new bench coach. Kim, 52, was the 1990 Rookie of the Year and was part of the 1994 championship team.

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