Seoul: After taking over a team caught in the South Korean baseball purgatory, Doosan Bears interim manager Cho Sung-hwan saw some young players take the next step in their burgeoning careers. The short stint on the bench was also an opportunity for Cho himself to grow alongside those youngsters.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the 48-year-old began the 2025 Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season as the quality control coach for the Bears. But after Lee Seung-yuop stepped down as manager with the Bears stuck in ninth place at 23-32-3 (wins-losses-ties), Cho was thrust into the interim skipper position. On Cho's watch, the Bears went 38-45-3, a slightly higher winning percentage than during Lee's regime but not good enough to drag the team out of ninth place in the 10-team league.
"I was able to see young guys grow and also see veterans lead the way," Cho told reporters before the Bears' final game of the season Tuesday against the LG Twins at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. "But it hurt our pride as a team to finish where we did this year. I am sure our fans felt the same way."
The Bears own the KBO record for the most consecutive trips to the Korean Series with seven, playing for the league title every year from 2015 to 2021, and they grabbed the championship in 2015, 2016, and 2019. They also made the postseason in the first two years of Lee's tenure before playing themselves out of contention early in 2025.
Immediately after grabbing the reins, Cho demoted underperforming veterans to the minor league and inserted rookies and young players into the starting lineup. Rookie infielder Park Jun-soon, in particular, emerged as the team's new everyday third baseman and even saw time at second base, too.
"All the players gave their best throughout the season," Cho said. "As their leader, I should have done a better job."
Given the team's recent history of success, Cho said the Bears can't afford to stay out of contention for too long. "We all know we don't belong in ninth place. That's not what we're about," he said. "I hope the players will never forget No. 9 next to our name in the standings because it doesn't look right. We have to make sure we don't experience the same pain ever again."
Whether Cho will remain in charge to lead the Bears next year and beyond remains to be seen. The Bears are believed to be considering promoting Cho to the full-time role while also looking at other options. "Now that I've been the interim manager here, there has been so much to learn. I've had to grow as a person in this position," Cho said. "I would like to further build relationships with players where we can all trust one another."