The ongoing conflict between a manager and a senior player has once again surfaced on a baseball field.
Samsung Lions veteran pitcher Oh Seung-hwan (40) and manager Park Jin-man (46) were exposed to baseball fans during their game against KT WIZ at Katie Wiz Park in Suwon on April 16.
It was even more surprising because Oh, who was nicknamed ‘Dolbuchu’ and rarely showed his emotions, nervously threw the ball and slammed his glove in response to the bench’s grater instructions.
After meeting with Oh Seung-hwan after the incident, Park made it clear that the player was at fault, saying through the club that he should have thought twice before doing so, and ordered him to the second team.
Along with Choo Shin-soo and Kim Kang-min (over 40-SSG Landers), Oh is the most senior player in the league and one of the best closers in Korean baseball history.
Just ten days ago, he reached the milestone of 500 saves in his Korean-American career.
However, he hasn’t been able to fulfill his role as a closer this year due to his poor performance.
Earlier this month (May 3 against the Daegu Kiwoom Heroes), he made his first start in 18 years.
It was a training pitch to improve his condition, not to win the game.
Immediately after his start, he was sent down to the second team to review his pitches and returned, but his pride was apparently bruised when he was ordered to pitch again in the game.
In the KBO, there have been many “emotional confrontations” between managers and seniors before.
The closest was when Lee Yong-kyu, a member of the Hanwha Eagles, suddenly demanded a trade ahead of the 2019 season.
Yong-kyu was unhappy because he believed that Han Yong-duk, the manager at the time, had no intention of using him as a starter.
Earlier in 2004, Lee Sang-hoon, the franchise star of the LG Twins, rebelled against manager Lee Soon-cheol’s order not to bring his guitar for an overseas training camp and eventually left the team.
When managers and players have conflicts, most clubs side with the manager.
This is because they recognize the manager’s authority to lead the team and play the game.
Nevertheless, when a coach and a senior player have an emotional clash, the results are not good for both the coach and the player.
No wonder the team atmosphere and performance suffer.
Tommy Lasorda, the longtime manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers in Major League Baseball, once said that one of the most important qualities of a manager is the ability to create “clubhouse chemistry”.
The game is played by the players, which means that the manager must do his best to create a team atmosphere that makes the players feel good about playing.안전놀이터
While Lasorda’s words make sense on paper, it’s not an easy task when the odds are stacked against you every night.
However, Park Jin-man and Oh Seung-hwan need to have a more in-depth conversation for the sake of the team and each other.