LG Twins general manager Cha Myeong-seok (54) was busy ahead of the away game against the Lotte Giants on the 5th. The team had confirmed the championship in the pennant race, and held a victory ceremony the day before (the 4th), so they probably had some time to spare, but Manager Cha was still making the most of his time. He took some time to be interviewed at the team residence on the 5th. Director Cha said, “It was good for a while, but since it is a seat, he feels like he has to make other preparations. “Maybe because I’m the type of person who speaks first and then tries to keep it, I live in a state of tension, as if I’m always being chased,” he said with a laugh.
Director Cha was a member from 1994, when LG last won a combined championship. Among the players from the team at that time, the only ones who are still with LG today are General Manager Cha and Kim Jae-hyeon, the strength enhancement coordinator who returned to his hometown this year. Director Cha, who recalled a memory from 29 years ago, said, “At that time, the members were very powerful. 3 consecutive losses would have been the longest losing streak. They did not lose that easily and won an overwhelming regular season championship. The same was true for the Korean series. “He was not left out of any position.”스포츠토토
However, he did not attach much significance to his own role. He waved his hands, saying he only played various roles as a middle pitcher. General Manager Cha said, “At the time, Manager Lee Gwang-hwan often bought meals for the middle pitchers because he said they were having a hard time. At that time he reported to us that he was the ‘Unknown Soldier’. He would have played somewhere between a supporting role and a minor role. Still, he had pride in being a member of the winning team,” he recalled.
General Manager Cha ‘risked his position’ and made a surprise trade in the middle of this season. Right-handed starting pitcher Choi Won-tae was recruited from Kiwoom Heroes. After Choi Won-tae joined, LG overcame the crisis based on the stability of the starting lineup and established a dominant system by widening the gap with the second-place team. General Manager Cha said, “Since taking office as general manager, the recruitment of Choi Won-tae is almost the only case in which I personally led the trade. After reporting that he ‘will win’, he received approval from the club’s leadership. “In effect, we put our necks on the line, and as a result, the team got better and more stable,” he said.
General Manager Cha said, “After winning the pennant race, I thought, ‘How can I not do this for so long?’ Now the last goal remains. We are desperate to win the Korean Series. Because fans have waited too long. “I will provide good support to the players during the remaining period until the Korean Series,” he pledged.
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