Two Korean Baseball Coaches Exemplify Spirit of Brotherhood

Mobis head coach Lim Keun-bae received a grand offer at the end of last season from his previous team, Electronic Land. The proposal was for him to take control of the team since ET Land`s ex-coach, Yoo Jae-hak, had moved to Mobis.

But coach Lim rejected the opportunity. Lim moved to Mobis instead, following coach Yoo, and left behind a saying, “Faith is the priority."

This coaching duo is the oldest active one in the league. Their relationship began six years ago when Yoo, who led the Daewoo Securities team in 1999, called upon Lim, who was in charge of the Hyundai team at the time, to join him. Yoo and Lim graduated from Yonsei University and Kyunghee University, respectively, and also established their playing careers separately in Kia and Hyundai in their prime.

But after moving into coaching, the two stayed together amidst continuous shifting from team to team, from Shinsegae to SK Bigs to ET Land to Mobis, due to transfers and takeovers.

Solid trust for Lim allowed Yoo to call Lim right after transferring to Mobis with a large coaching contract offer of 230 million won. Yoo commented, "We have worked with each other for a long period of time, building a strong level of trust, and we haven`t been on bad terms with each other, which is good," adding, "Lim respects his players and gets along with them well." Lim said, "Coach Yoo is rational and has charisma."

The two coaches, both with three-year contracts, are working hard to put together a winning strategy for Mobis focused on veterans Lee Chang-soo, Woo Ji-won, and Kim Seung-ki, newcomer Yang Dong-keun, and a number of rookies to change the complexion of the team, which was the worst in the league last season, and to get the team accustomed to winning.

This season’s revival of Mobis, which has been declared a "reborn team," is in the hands of these two.

Won-Hong Lee bluesky@donga.com