‘First pitch of Game 3’ Seung-yeop Lee “I learned the joys and sorrows of being a coach in Japan… I need to become stronger”

(Daegu = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Dong-han = Former Doosan Bears coach Lee Seung-yeop (50), who threw out the first pitch in Game 3 of the Korean Series in the professional baseball league, expressed caution about returning to the field, saying he came to understand the joys and sorrows of coaches after spending a season with the Yomiuri Giants (Japan).

Former manager Lee met with reporters after throwing out the first pitch of Game 3 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Postseason Korean Series (KS, 4 wins out of 7) between KT Wiz and Samsung Lions held at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on the 6th, and looked back on his life in Japan, saying, "I think I learned something from the more than two years I spent as a manager."

He took charge of Doosan in 2023 and stepped down in June last year, taking responsibility for poor performance.

Afterwards, he coached players as the Yomiuri first team hitting coach this year, and finished accompanying the team last month.

Having played as Yomiuri's number 4 hitter during his active career, he experienced the role of coach for the first time wearing a familiar uniform.

For him, who took over as head coach of Doosan without having coached a professional team, the time he spent as a coach was an opportunity to look at baseball from a different perspective.

Former coach Lee said, "I felt the atmosphere of the coach's office, what I had to do as a coach, and what I had to be careful about. There were many times when I didn't understand while directing, but after spending a lot of time in the coach's office, I learned what difficulties coaches face."

He added, “I got to know the coaches’ joys and sorrows,” and added, “I had a bit of a difficult year, but it was a really good experience.”

When asked about his future plans, he expressed his desire to fill in the gaps.

He said, "I am grateful that even though it has only been a short time since I returned, many people have contacted me and asked about my current situation. Since there are some shortcomings, I think I should take the opportunity to fill in a little more and wait until I become stronger."

It was a special feeling to throw out the first pitch in Samsung's home stadium, where his number 36 has been permanently retired.

Former coach Lee laughed, saying, “I didn’t think I would be nervous at all, but I was. Still, I felt good.” He added, “I came unprepared, but luckily I got a strike.”

After throwing the first pitch, he cheered for Kang Min-ho to win.

He said, “Coach Jin-man Park has been running the team well in recent years,” and added, “I can directly see and feel that the team is becoming stronger. I think we have developed into a very good team.”

In the first game, where Samsung narrowed the 8-point deficit to 1 point, I was reminded of the late commentator Ha Il-seong's words, "I really don't know baseball."

Former coach Lee said, “There are two best teams left,” and hoped, “I hope they will play baseball that impresses baseball fans by doing their best.”

He also praised captain Koo Ja-wook, who he played with, saying, "He showed enough ability to lead the team. He is now the true leader of the Lions. He has become a bigger player than I thought."

Foreign pitchers were selected as players that stood out in this fall baseball, and he hoped for the growth of domestic players.

Former coach Lee said, “I noticed the performance of foreign players in the playoffs and the Korean Series.” He added, “I think that the chances of winning are reduced if there is no performance from foreign players, especially on the pitcher side.”

He added, "Actually, it is a sad reality. I will wait for the day when our country's players develop their skills further and our native players perform on such a big stage."