Daejeon:The Hanwha Eagles have announced that they will not renew the contract of manager Kim Kyung-moon, which is set to expire at the end of the current season.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim Kyung-moon took over as manager of the Eagles in June 2024. During his tenure, he led the team to their first Korean Series appearance since 2006 in 2025, though they were defeated by the LG Twins in five games. This season, the Eagles finished ninth in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) standings with a record of 57 wins, 82 losses, and 4 ties.

The Eagles are actively searching for a new manager and expressed gratitude to Kim for his contributions. Kim announced his departure during a pregame media session at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark, expressing regret for the team's performance and gratitude towards the players, coaches, and staff.

At 67, Kim was the oldest manager in the KBO this year and has yet to win a Korean Series title, despite achieving over 1,000 career wins. His 2025 season with the Eagles was notable, with the team posting a strong regular season record of 83-57-4, largely due to American pitchers Cody Ponce and Ryan Weiss.

This year, the team's pitching struggled after Ponce and Weiss left for Major League Baseball. Their replacements, Owen White and Wilkel Hernandez, failed to perform, and Hernandez's replacement, Bruce Zimmermann, also faced difficulties.

Despite these challenges, the Eagles' offense improved significantly, leading the KBO with 175 home runs and 813 runs scored. Free agent Kang Baek-ho played a key role, hitting a career-high 34 home runs. However, the team's pitching suffered, resulting in the KBO's second-worst ERA at 5.27, compared to their 2025 league-best ERA of 3.55.