INCHEON– The facade of the upper deck in left field at the SSG Landers’ rebranded home stadium is adorned with the message, “The start of baseball that never existed anywhere.”
And this year in that stadium, the Landers accomplished something that had never been done before in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).
They became the first club to go wire to wire for the regular season crown. They won the first 10 games of the season and never looked back, en route to earning a bye to the Korean Series as the top seed.
Then the Landers finished off the Kiwoom Heroes in six games in the best-of-seven series Tuesday night with a 4-3 win, giving their faithful at Incheon SSG Landers Field much to cheer about in a season full of many such moments.
The Landers used to be called the SK Wyverns under different ownership. They were the first KBO dynasty of the 21st century, playing in six consecutive Korean Series from 2007 to 2012 and winning three titles in that span. They added another title in 2018.
The retail giant Shinsegae Group took over the franchise before the 2021 season and they immediately became a big spender. Their biggest early coup was the signing of Choo Shin-soo, a 16-year major league veteran and one-time American League All-Star with the Texas Rangers. The outfielder long known for his combination of power and on-base skills from the leadoff spot gave the new-look franchise an instant credibility.
The Landers fell a half game short of a postseason spot in their inaugural season. Then they went out and reacquired their franchise icon, left-hander Kim Kwang-hyun, luring him back from the majors after his two-year stint with the St. Louis Cardinals. Amid uncertain big league future during an offseason lockout, Kim chose to rejoin the only KBO team he’d known since his debut 2007.
The Landers also locked down some homegrown players with multiyear extension before they reached free agency, and the foundation for a championship run was set with core players in their early 30s.
The Landers pitchers were on average just about 30 years old, while their position players were about 32 years old on average. In comparison, the Heroes pitchers and position players were under 30 on average.
But those old bodies of the Landers had three weeks off between the end of the regular season and the Korean Series, enough time to rest and then ramp back up for the championship round. And for the most part, they swung the bat with abandon, belting out seven home runs and 55 hits in six games.
And no other veteran made such an outsized impact in limited opportunities quite like Kim Kang-min, a 40-year-old backup outfielder voted the Korean Series MVP.
Kim batted 3-for-8 with two home runs and five RBIs, but did not start once the whole series. Kim’s most memorable moment came in Monday’s Game 5 victory, as he turned a 4-2 deficit into a 5-4 victory in the bottom of the ninth inning with his pinch-hit, three-run homer.
It was the first pinch-hit walkoff blast in Korean Series history. Literally, no one had seen anything like it in the KBO before.
In another unusal move, the Landers announced one hour before Game 5 that they would extend manager Kim Won-hyong. His two-year contract had been set to expire after the Korean Series, and Kim had been subject to speculation that he would not be brought back unless he won the championship.
But the Landers quelled such rumors by deciding to keep Kim aboard regardless of the results in the Korean Series. Terms of the deal would be finalized after the series, the Landers added, and with the championship trophy in tow, it’s not difficult to imagine some amicable negotiations.
Reflecting on his two-year run that culminated in the championship, Kim said he’d like to become a more mature leader for his team.
“I’ve always been a competitive, fiery guy, and there were times when I let my emotions get the better of me,” Kim said. “I know I will still be hard on the players and the coaches next year, but I will also try to be a more patient person.”
Kim said he was surprised himself that he didn’t shed tears of joy after clinching the title.
“Managing isn’t as easy as it seems,” Kim said. “Even in that moment when everyone on the team should have been elated, I found myself trying not to get too carried away. Maybe I was already worrying about next year.”
Kim also congratulated the Heroes on their own memorable run to the Korean Series.
“Honestly, I was hoping we would face that team,” said Kim, whose Landers were awaiting the winner of the penultimate round of the postseason. “But as I watched them play in early rounds, I began to think this could be a pretty dangerous team. And every game in this series was an absolute battle. They were unbelievable.”
Source: Yonhap News Agency