The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club said Kim has agreed to a new three-year deal worth 2 billion won (US$1.8 million), including a signing bonus of 500 million won. (Image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 1 (Korea Bizwire) – Reigning South Korean baseball champions Kia Tigers signed their manager Kim Ki-tai to a three-year extension Wednesday, two days after clinching the title.
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club said Kim has agreed to a new three-year deal worth 2 billion won (US$1.8 million), including a signing bonus of 500 million won.
With Kim at the helm, the Tigers won the Korean Series over the Doosan Bears in five games Monday. It was the Tigers’ first championship since 2009 and their 11th overall.
Kim, 48, took over the Tigers in November 2014. They finished eighth in his first season in 2015 but made it to the wild card game by placing fifth in the regular season of 2016.
In 2017, the Tigers almost went wire-to-wire to claim the regular season title. In the Korean Series against the Bears, two-time defending champs, the Tigers dropped the opener and then won four straight games for the championship.
“I’d love to thank the organization for being so supportive all season long,” Kim said through a team statement. “I also want to thank my coaches and players for having gone through so much with me over the past three seasons. We were able to win the championship thanks to the love and support of our fans. We’re not going to be content with this title. We’ll try to become a perennial contender.”
(Yonhap)
