Road to Victory: Kim Jae-park, Manager of Hyundai Unicorns

“I really do miss seeing my wife. I haven’t been home for 15 days.”

As the Hyundai Unicorns clinched its second consecutive Korean Series title on November 1, Manager Kim Jae-park (50) first thought of his wife Jeong Bok-hee (48).

However, he could not go home that night either. Because of the celebration party and dinner with the coaching staff, he had to stay at a hotel. The reporter met Kim, who was heading home for a lunch prepared by his wife, in a coffee shop of a hotel on November 2.

Kim said that his “gritty-fighter” attitude was the key driving force to his success.

“When I was playing second base in Daekwang High School, no colleges in Seoul or business teams wanted to draft me because I was so short. I was only 163 centimeters tall then,” said Kim.

This was, however, the first and the last obstacle in his career. He began his collegiate baseball career as a founding member of the Yeongnam University’s baseball team in 1973 and transformed himself into a totally different player after a year. He practiced and practiced, with the aim of winning over university teams in Seoul.

When he was a sophomore in Yeongnam University, he became the cleanup hitter, and later on was selected as a member of the national team. In 1977, while playing for the Hankook Cosmetics, he topped the leader board in seven categories: batting average, RBIs, home runs, triple crown, steals, best rookie, and MVP.

Kim is still remembered by many for his performance in the 1981 World Championship against Japan. When Korea was down 1-2 in the eighth inning, he executed a surprise bunt and tied the game. “There was no sign from the bench at that time, and it was my own decision to do the bunt, but later the manager said that it was a result of a miscommunication. I was very upset then,” said Kim.

When he was appointed as the manager of the Hyundai Unicorns in 1996, Kim first thought of the atmosphere of the company. “Because Hyundai was the one of the leading business companies in Korea, things were especially harsh for the managers. If your team did not produce wins, you wouldn’t be able to stay in that position for a long time. This is an obvious rule in professional leagues, but it was especially harsh in Hyundai.”

Kim has been holding the position of manager for the ninth year since 1996, and it proves how well Kim has managed his team; Kim has won four Korean Series championship titles and has a winning percentage of .573.

This Korean Series 2004 was especially difficult for Kim. “Game 7 was the pivotal turning point of the series, when the game was tied at 6-6,” said Kim. “As a matter of fact, I had given up on Game 2 and Game 7, but the players really pulled it through.”

Kim is very talented in many things. His average score in pool is 700 points. When he was young, his father rented the second floor of his building for a billiard room, so he had easy access to playing pool from an early age.

Kim is a good golfer – playing a single-digit handicap – and is also a great bowler, averaging 170 to 180 points. He’s also well known for his skills in playing ping-pong and cards.

“I hated losing in a bet, and that is the reason why I make quick progress in whatever I do,” said Kim. Kim, who enjoys playing cards, compared baseball to poker. “Just like how you never get a same pair of cards when playing poker, you face a totally different situation in each game. You have to make a right decision in each pivotal moment. And you get rewarded when you are patient. Even though you are being blanked by the opponent’s pitcher, you always get a chance.”

Unlike other managers who could only survive for a short period time, Kim has been successfully leading his team for nine years. What cards would Kim get for the next years to come? We shall only wait and see.

Sang-Soo Kim ssoo@donga.com