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KT WIZ head coach Lee Kang-cheol defended Park Byung-ho (Samsung Lions) to the end.
“He must be very sad to be traded to Samsung, but I hope he gets a lot of opportunities at Samsung and does well,” Lee said of Park Byung-ho, who was traded to Samsung after the visiting Doosan Bears in the 2024 KBO Baseball World Series at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on Monday.
“I hope it will be a good trade for Park Byung-ho and Oh Jae-il,” he said, adding, “Oh Jae-il will think about how to utilize him after joining the team.”
“Left-hander Oh Jae-il is a big bat with a different style than (right-hander) Park Byung-ho,” he said, adding, “He and Moon Sang-chul could be used in rotation while working on their physical fitness.”
Park Byung-ho, who has been underperforming this season, recently requested a transfer from the club as his starting opportunities dwindled.
KT tried to convince him to change his mind, but he was adamant.
In particular, he reportedly demanded to be released (waived) on the 27th.
It was an unfortunate situation for manager Lee Kang-cheol, who had been using Park Byung-ho.
Lee has always trusted his proven veteran players and respected their wishes, giving them plenty of playing time even when they were in a slump.
Some people even said that Lee Kang-cheol was too protective of his veteran players.
Lee gave Park consistent playing time when he joined KT in 2022 and kept him in the center of the batting order even when he was in a slump.
This season, he had no choice. KT, a favorite to win the championship, fell to the bottom of the standings early in 먹튀검증 the season due to a string of pitching injuries, and Byung-ho was batting in the teens until March.
In the meantime, Moon Sang-cheol, who had been filling in as a pinch-hitter, was hitting big in every game he played. Naturally, Moon's starts increased.
Coach Lee Kang-cheol had hoped to revitalize Park Byung-ho through competition, but it didn't work out that way.
Park announced his intention to leave the team, citing a lack of playing time, and the entire process became public knowledge.
Coach Lee Kang-cheol hid his pain ahead of the team's match against Doosan on the 28th, the day Park's request for release became public.
Lee avoided answering a question about Park Byung-ho, but when asked if he had considered the veteran players too much, he replied, “Because they helped me a lot...”
Lee Kang-cheol was heartbroken, but decided to let Park Byung-ho go.
On the afternoon of the 28th, KT contacted other teams and matched trade cards, and Samsung, which needed a big hitter, responded, and a one-for-one trade was completed.
KT and Samsung announced the trade right after the game on the 28th, and in the end, KT said goodbye to Park Byung-ho.
It was a heartbreaking parting, but Lee Kang-cheol supported Byung-ho until the end.
The Wall