“Offense Brings Fans, Defense Brings Wins” ... Lee Dong-wook Returns, Vows to Overhaul Lotte with “Smart Baseball”

[Financial News] Lee Dong-wook, who has taken over as the new manager of the Lotte Giants, has promised a rigorous overhaul to end the long postseason drought at Sajik Ballpark. His firm resolve is to do more than simply see out the season: he wants to restore the pride of victory to Busan’s baseball fans.
At the inauguration ceremony for the 22nd Lotte manager, held on the 31st at LOTTE HOTEL BUSAN, Lee took his first official step in the role as CEO Lee Kang-hoon handed him a jersey bearing his number. Many of the team’s key players attended, including new general manager Lee Taek-keun, captain Jeon Jun-woo, Kim Won-jung, Park Se-woong and Han Dong-hee, to welcome their new leader back to his former team after 20 years.
Lee first joined Lotte after being selected in the second round of the 1997 secondary rookie draft. He has returned exactly 20 years after leaving the team in 2006, now taking on the weightiest title of his career: manager.
Having led the NC Dinos to a combined championship in 2020, Lee is determined to bring to Lotte the objective perspective he gained from working in both front-office and on-field roles, including through training with a U.S. Major League Baseball-affiliated minor league team and serving on the KBO Power Enhancement Committee.

Lee’s new milestone for Lotte in the 2027 season is “smart baseball.” Rather than being bound by the numbers on a screen, the plan is to maximize each player’s strengths through rigorous data analysis and solid defensive fundamentals.

Citing the famous saying, “Offense brings fans, but defense brings wins,” Lee declared that he would put the emphasis in training on defensive execution and establishing unwavering routines.
Lee also personally revealed how the former managers came to join the coaching staff, a subject of intense interest. The appointments of Heo Mun-hoe as bench coach and Jo Won-woo as defensive coach came not from the club, but from Lee’s strong, direct requests. It was a practical decision: he believed he needed the expertise of the two former managers, who understand the current Lotte roster far better than he does after spending 20 years away from the team.

The team’s core is also taking shape quickly. Veteran Jeon Jun-woo will continue to wear the captain’s armband next season.
Lee said Jeon Jun-woo had readily agreed to shoulder the burden of captaincy, and stressed that he would establish a proactive training culture through consistency rather than forceful charisma. He also outlined plans for “depth baseball,” using data to deploy players flexibly instead of sticking to a fixed lineup and narrowing the gap in game readiness among the first-team backups.
Back with his former team after 20 years, Lee Dong-wook is once again dreaming of taking flight. At Sajik, anticipation is building over whether his “smart baseball” can end the Giants’ bitter history of going nine years without even catching a whiff of autumn baseball.

[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter