“Coffee and tea? We didn’t have that when I was a player.”

Doosan Bears head coach Lee Seung-yeop received a meaningful gift from an acquaintance on his way to work on the 26th against the Jamsil Lotte Giants.

The friend sent him a cup of coffee just in time for the team’s official pregame training session. The message congratulated Lee on his team’s 8-5 victory over Lotte the previous day, which marked the first 11-game winning streak in the regular season for a Doosan franchise.

The coffee had a placard that read, “From national hitter to national manager, Lee Seung-yup!” and the words, “No matter what, our Bears are going to the Korean Series!!!” on it.

Lee said, “I was surprised to see the coffee on my way to work. I drank a cup of iced tea,” he said, adding, “It’s a bit of a burden because it says that I will definitely go to the Korean Series. There are still more than 60 games left, but I think my acquaintances are more worried about Doosan than I am,” he laughed.

“I’m not from the ‘coffee tea’ generation. When I was playing, there was no culture of coffee tea (sent by fans),” he laughed, adding, “I think in the past, gifts and food were delivered, and I can’t help but feel warm and fuzzy when I receive them.”

After retiring from the Samsung Lions after the 2017 season, Lee took a break from the field to work as a baseball commentator until last year. He has been leading the Bears since this year, after a surprise appointment as Doosan’s 11th commander with no previous coaching experience.

Lee was a “national hitter” during his playing days, but when he took the reins at Doosan, there were some concerns that he was a “rookie manager” who had never coached in professional baseball before.

However, Lee’s results say it all. After a series of injuries to key players in the first half of the season, the team dropped to sixth place with 33 wins, 36 losses, and one tie through June, but they won all 11 games in July and climbed to sole possession of third place.메이저사이트

Doosan’s 11-game winning streak under Lee has never been accomplished in the history of the organization since its inception in 1982. Lee also broke the KBO record for the longest winning streak in a manager’s debut season.

“I’m not playing right now, so (the 11-game winning streak) is the result of my players playing well,” Lee said, giving all the credit to the players on the field.