The Apprentice Versus the Master

With the Konami Cup Series just one day away, teams are bracing themselves for that fateful tourney.

At 6 p.m. on November 8, the Tokyo Dome will be the arena for SK and Chunichi to go head to head. What’s more interesting about the two teams is that SK’s manager Kim Seong-geun and Chunichi’s outfielder Lee Byeong-gyu both played for LG in the Korean Baseball League during the 2001 and 2002 seasons. In 2002, LG held the league’s 4th best record and gave Samsung a run for their money during the Korean Series finals. Manager Kim left LG after being unable to lead his team to the promised land.

The one-time master and apprentice were reunited after five years during the Konami Cup Series press conference held on November 6. They greeted each other warmly, but promised that their match would be an all out war.

Manager Kim said, “I’m really curious to see how much Lee has progressed since his LG days.” He added, “In the past two years, Korean teams have failed to perform well in the Konami Cup Series. I am determined to make sure my team returns with the trophy.”

Lee replied, “I have no intentions of disappointing my old coach. I will bring my ‘A’ game.” The team members of SK have been featured in two sections in the November 7 issue of the Yomiuri, one of Japan’s premiere weekly papers.

The Yomiuri had nothing but praise for SK, which won the Korean Series title for the first time since 2000 when the team was established, highlighting the fact that there are no individual superstars in the team, but they proved that the whole is greater than the sum of all its parts. The Yomiuri also commented that Kenny Rayborn, Mike Romano and Chae Byeong-ryong dominate the mound and that the team also has a solid bullpen. In particular, Jeong Dae-hyeon and Jeong Geun-woo have been pointed out as players to watch out for.

beetlez@donga.com