On Nov. 2, the Doosan Bears beat the NC Dinos 8-1 in Game 4 of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) Korean Series held in Masan to win their fifth championship. The team won the pennant in the regular season and swept the Dinos in the best-of-seven series.
It is the first time the Bears have won two straight Korean Series titles since the team was established. The team also clinched both the pennant and Korean Series title for the first time since 1995.
■ Bears set KBO single-season record for wins on way to clinching pennant
The Doosan Bears dominated the league all throughout the season—setting the single-season KBO record for victories at 93 and clinching the pennant.
Winning the championship in 2015 helped boost the players’ confidence, allowing them to play up to their full potential. Individual players were encouraged to think and make their own judgments, which played a vital role in the team’s dominant season.
For the first time in the history of the KBO, all four starting pitchers on a team won at least 15 games—Dustin Nippert had 22 wins, followed by Michael Bowden with 18, and 15 each for Won-Jun Jang and Hee Kwan Yoo—and including the postseason, the four combined to win 75 games, a record for a team in one season. The Bears also posted the league’s best team earned run average (ERA). The team’s hitters were dominant as well, leading the league in home runs, batting average and runs scored. Moreover, the Bears’ defense was the best in the league.
Thanks to their record-breaking offense and defense, the Bears clinched the pennant in the regular season for the first time in 21 years and took aim at their second consecutive Korean Series title.
■ Bears win consecutive titles for the first time
Because they won the pennant, the Doosan Bears advanced straight to the Korean Series. While waiting for the series to begin, the players were not particularly nervous or excited. They followed their daily training routines to make sure that they were in the best possible condition. They also attended a mini-training camp in Japan and played against Japanese teams to improve their conditioning. Under the strong leadership and smart tactics of manager Tae-Hyeong Kim, the Bears played “Doosan-style” baseball and clinched their second championship trophy in a row.
The “Fantastic 4’ pitchers—made up of Dustin Nippert, Won-Jun Jang, Michael Bowden and Hee Kwan Yoo—dominated all throughout the postseason games and played a vital role in leading the team to its second straight title.
Nippert opened the Korean Series with a great start, allowing no runs in eight innings in Game 1, while setting the postseason record for consecutive scoreless innings. Won-Jun Jang pitched well almost all throughout Game 2, and Bowden helped the team win Game 3, throwing 136 pitches in an away game. Hee Kwan Yoo closed out the series, pitching in the clinching Game 4 victory. The “Fantastic 4” posted a Korean Series record-low ERA of 0.47, allowing only 2 runs, a record that is likely to stand for some time.
The Bears were strong on offense as well. Jae-hwan Kim, the team’s cleanup hitter who was playing in the Korean Series for the first time, hit three home runs in four games. Also, catcher Eui-ji Yang hit the game-winning home run in Game 4. All of the hitters fulfilled their roles in the batting order in addition to playing strong defense to prevent NC from scoring runs.
Along with a strong offense and defense, the Bears’ feat of winning the KBO pennant for the first time in 21 years and their second straight Korean Series championship is attributable to the players’ Team Doosan spirit.
■ Manager Kim exhibits great leadership
Last year, Manager Tae-Hyeong Kim joined the Doosan Bears as a rookie manager but still managed to lead the team to its fourth Korean Series championship. This year, he returned with even more upgraded tactics, made bold decisions and brought the players together with his charismatic leadership.
Kim motivated his players to perform at the highest levels and displayed great in-game decision-making skills by quickly evaluating the condition of the players. Bears players collectively say that it is all thanks to Kim, who put his total trust in them after deciding that they could do well during the games. In reply, Kim said: “It is the players’ job to make the manager believe in the players.”
That quote perfectly highlights Tae-Hyeong Kim’s leadership style. Kim often says, “It is the players themselves who play baseball on the field,” and he focused on creating an atmosphere where players could freely make decisions. Players also have total trust in Kim for bringing out their full potential. When the manager sets a goal, it becomes the players’ goal too. It is not mere luck or coincidence that young players were able to unleash their potential after Kim was appointed as manager.
Two years as a manager is not a long time, but none of the Bears question Kim’s leadership because they know that they can put their trust in him. It is no exaggeration to say that Kim, who has won his players’ trust, is one of the best managers in the history of the KBO.
■ Front office makes right moves, investments
Under the seasoned leadership of President Seungyoung Kim and General Manager Taeryong Kim, the Doosan Bears’ front office makes long-term plans for the club and manages the roster. At Icheon Bears Park, which boasts the KBO’s top-class training facilities, the Bears’ minor league players are trained systematically to be ready for the major league whenever they are needed. The front office officials who have quietly carried out their given tasks together have also become part of the team’s winning tradition and part of its secret recipe for success.
Doosan Group Chairman Jeongwon Park, who is the club owner of the Bears, also deserves credit for making the right investments. People in the baseball profession collectively say that Park’s decision to recruit free agent pitcher Won-Jun Jang at the end of 2014 was a “divine move.” Soon after he became the club owner, he decided to make a big investment to build Icheon Bears Park (which replaced the previous Bears Field stadium) and equip it with state-of-the-art training facilities for the team’s minor league players. The decision strengthened the Bears’ widow’s cruse baseball philosophy, ensuring that the team can look forward to a steady stream of impact players in the future.
※ Doosan Bears’ Korean Series Performance
1. Doosan Bears
(1) Five Korean Series championships
- 1982 (vs. Samsung) / 1995 (vs. Lotte) / 2001 (vs. Samsung) / 2015 (vs. Samsung) / 2016 (vs. NC)
(2) Two consecutive Korean Series championships
- 2015 (vs. Samsung) – 2016 (vs. NC)
(3) Korean Series record-low ERA with lowest number of runs allowed
- 2 runs allowed / 0.46 ERA
* Previous record: 5 runs allowed / 1.15 ERA (vs. Samsung, 2005)
2. Players
(1) Dustin Nippert
- Postseason record for consecutive scoreless innings with 34⅓
- Oct. 10, 2015, at Jamsil Stadium vs. Nexen Heroes, 7 innings (Postseason round 1)
– Oct. 28, 2016, at Jamsil Stadium vs. NC, 8 innings (Korean Series Game 1)
(2) Jae-Yil Oh
- Korean Series’ first game-winning sacrifice fly: Oct. 28, 2016, at Jamsil Stadium vs. NC, bottom of the 11th inning
(3) Hyun-Seung Lee
- Threw the least number of pitches to the least number of batters, and became the winning pitcher: 1 batter/ 4 pitches (Oct. 28, 2016, at Jamsil Stadium vs. NC)
(4) Soo-bin Jung
- Scored runs in a record number of consecutive postseason games (8 games)
(5) Performance of “Fantastic 4” pitchers in Korean Series games

