In the fall of 2012, former Hanwha Eagles head coach Sung-Keun Kim published a book called What is a Head Coach? Here’s the gist of it. Kim argued that baseball is played by managers, and I argued that baseball is played by players. I always felt grateful to the players, both in my own team and in international competitions.
More than a decade has passed since then. In retrospect, I was both right and wrong. It’s a pretty obvious conclusion. But it took me a long time and a lot of experience to realize it.
At its core, baseball is about managers and players. In fact, over the course of a season, there aren’t many additional wins that a manager can bring to a team. It’s all about what you can do in the most critical situations.
That’s where we are right now. 바카라사이트
Aside from the first-place LG Twins and the teams below them, the rest of the league is gearing up for fall baseball. As we’ve seen in recent years, half a game can be the difference between making the postseason and missing out. This is why managers are so important at this time of year.
In Major League Baseball (MLB), the fight for a wild card spot is in full swing. On March 30, the Toronto Blue Jays and Washington Nationals played each other. Toronto catcher Alejandro Kirk was the designated hitter for the game and hit a double in the bottom of the eighth inning with the Jays trailing 5-2. Toronto later added a run on a wild pitch, and Kirk advanced to third.
On the next batter’s fly ball to center field, Kirk was thrown out at home, just barely. In my opinion, Kirk is the slowest player on the Toronto roster. When he advanced to third base, I thought he needed a pinch-hitter, but here he is. If I didn’t have a pinch hitter, I would have used a pitcher as a pinch runner. Toronto scored a run in the ninth, but ultimately lost 4-5. It was a game that showed how important a manager’s judgment and ability is. The Jays are now a half-game out of the wild-card race, and this loss could cost them.
Like the MLB, the KBO has a tight race for the top spot. The second-place KT Wiz, as well as the NC Dinos, Doosan Bears, KIA Tigers, and SSG Landers, are in a tight race. The seventh-place Lotte Giants are also holding out hope.
In MLB, there is less room for managers to intervene in the game due to the high level of player skill, but our players need more signaling. At this crucial time of the year, managers should be calling the shots, from defensive moves to pitch mixes. Sometimes, they can go long with their starters, and other times, they can bring in their bullpen early. The manager’s role can be the difference between making it to fall ball or not.
The better the team, the more they can cover for their manager’s mistakes. However, the weaker the team, the more noticeable the manager’s “mistakes” will be. Managers shouldn’t sit on the bench. This is the time of year when things get busiest.
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