As soon as he signed the contract, he started conducting, and he feels responsible for his comeback as an autumn hero

Jan 27, 2025

Park Geun-hye SSG Landers 2nd division director. Sports Chosun DB

The appointment of a new coach was completed in three days. Fans welcomed the fall hero's return.

SSG Landers announced the appointment of Park Jung-kwon (second division) as head coach on the 27th. It has been three days since manager Park Jung-tae announced his voluntary resignation. SSG appointed Park Jung-tae as its new second-tier coach on December 31. After Son Si-heon, who led the second division last year, moved to the first division defensive coach, he was looking for a new second division coach.

SSG expects coach Park Jung-tae to present solutions for each player based on his high understanding of the players and instill a culture of determination and persistence in the team", and the reason for the appointment of 'Convincing Hyung' was revealed.

However, as soon as it was announced, there was a huge aftermath. There have been concerns about how much the leader, who has been away from the field for more than 12 years, can play a role by returning to the field as a second-tier coach and taking the heavy responsibility of being a second-tier coach at the same club as his nephew, Choo Shin-soo, but the most important issue has been his past three drunk driving experiences.

Ahead of the schedule of the SSG second-tier squad, which will begin training in Korea on the 25th, the club was also deeply agonizing over whether to push ahead with second-tier coach Park Jung-tae or reverse the decision before it is too late. Public opinion and media reaction were not good.

In the end, coach Park Jung-tae expressed his resignation. Although he was willing to return to the field, he felt a great burden on public opinion and above all, the fact that it was a situation that damaged the club served as a burden on his mind. Coach Park Jung-tae said, `After the appointment, I heard the concerns of fans and baseball officials. I thought there was still something missing to return to the field, and I don't want to cause any concern to the fans and the club over this related issue. I will consider the role I can play for the development of the KBO League in a low position in the future"He expressed his intention to resign, and the club also accepted it after much consideration, and the resignation was confirmed.

사진=SSG 랜더스

In consideration of the Futures team's group training start and camp schedule, SSG reviewed the leading candidates among the list of clubs widely secured in the previous coach appointment process to minimize the manager's gap. SSG paid attention to the fact that the new coach Park has constantly communicated with the club while having the capabilities as a leader and is well aware of the team's development situation. As a player and batting coach for the Futures for six years from 2018 to 2023, he has a good understanding of the club's nurturing environment and system, especially the strengths and weaknesses of the team's Futures players.

In addition, the club highly appreciated Park's performance of basic skills and grit when he was a representative one-club man and star player who was loved by fans, and emphasized his professionalism as a leader when he coached the team captain and the Futures.

SSG expects coach Park's unique affinity and open mind to lead the growth of prospects through casual communication with MZ players.

Sportschosun DB

As a player, coach Park Jung-kwon played in 1,308 games with a batting average of 0.273, 178 home runs and 679 RBIs, and showed a particularly strong clutch ability in the fall, including 11 postseason home runs and the 2010 Korean Series MVP. After retirement, Park Jung-kwon served as the Futures and first-team batting coach from 2020 to 2023, and served as a baseball commentator at MBC Sports Plus in 2024.

Coach Park Jung-kwon said, `I'm happy to return to the friendly team and be with the fans, and I'm also grateful to the club. We will do our best to maximize the potential of promising players and support the first-team backup as much as possible so that they can feel a heavy responsibility and build their power as a consistent strong team", he expressed his feelings.

Meanwhile, coach Park Jung-kwon began conducting training as soon as he signed the contract. He will join the second-tier squad training in Ganghwa on the 27th and mark the 2025 season.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.