Ex-rivals trying to outwit each other as opposing managers in Korean Series

As the Kia Tigers and the Samsung Lions prepare to duel for the South Korean baseball title starting Monday, their respective managers will be renewing their own rivalry dating back to their playing days. Tigers manager Lee Bum-ho, 42, and Lions skipper Park Jin-man, 47, were two of the finest players of their generation. And years after both enjoyed memorable Korean Series moments as players, they will now try to outwit each other with the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) championship at stake. In Game 5 of the 2017 Korean Series for the Tigers, Lee belted a grand slam to key a 7-6 win over the Doosan Bears, lifting the Gwangju-based franchise to their 11th title. It was Lee's only Korean Series title in his 19-year KBO career. Park collected six championship rings over his 20-year career, including two with the Lions in 2005 and 2006. He was voted the Korean Series MVP in 2006 after batting .280 and playing his typically superb defense at shortstop. Among managers who have been in the Korean Series, Par k and ex-Lions skipper Sun Dong-yol are tied for the most titles won as players with six. In that 2006 series, Park and the Lions faced Lee and his former team, Hanwha Eagles. The Lions won the series in six games -- including a tie -- and Lee, who batted just .231 without a home run then, recalled that the Eagles didn't stand much of a chance. "Back then, I was just happy to be playing in the Korean Series," Lee said. "It was my first Korean Series as a player and Park Jin-man had already won a few titles before that." Lee said he will try to adopt the same mindset this year that he had 18 years ago. "Even though we had the best record in the regular season this time, I will see myself as a challenger to Park Jin-man," Lee said. "Hopefully, we will have a memorable battle this time." Park said his team will be the underdog, much as Lee's Eagles had been in 2006. Both the 2024 Lions and the 2006 Eagles had to win an extra round in the postseason to qualify for the Korean Series. "We will try to ride the momentum from our previous series and make it a great Korean Series," said Park, whose team knocked out the defending champions LG Twins in four games in the best-of-five second round. Lee, former hitting coach for the Tigers, was thrust into the managerial role in February after former skipper Kim Jong-kook was abruptly fired while facing bribery allegations. Lee successfully led the Tigers to the best record in the regular season but he said managing is far more challenging than playing because he feels more helpless. "I don't recall ever getting nervous before an at-bat as a player, but it's far more nerve-wrecking to watch games as manager," Lee said. "On the field, I can constantly move my body around to stay loose. But when I am standing in the dugout and watching games, I can't do anything other than to trust my players." Lee said the Lions are such a sound defensive team that it will be difficult to put up crooked numbers on the board against them. "They made the fewest errors in the regular seaso n (with 81 in 144 games) and I think we'll have to capitalize on every chance to score because it'll be tough to get multiple runs across," Lee said. "We will try to take it one run at a time." Park said the Tigers are a complete team that can make life difficult for any opponent, but added that the postseason will be different than the regular season. "We've had discussions with our scouts to try to exploit their weaknesses," Park added. "But we won't divulge our strategies here. You will find out by watching the upcoming games." Source: Yonhap News Agency