Kim Kyung-moon, who had withheld comments about Heo In-seo until the end, finally offered words of encouragement to Heo In-seo and left the team.
Hanwha, led by Kim Kyung-moon, lost 8-9 to NC Dinos in a home game at Daejeon Hanwha Life Insurance Ballpark in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League on the 10th, finishing the 2025 season with a record of 57-82-4.
Before the game, Kim Kyung-moon said, “After I leave, I think it’s better for the manager to speak frankly rather than hear things from the club. I think today’s game will be the last game.” Afterward, Hanwha officially announced the joint resignation of manager Kim Kyung-moon and Director General Son Hyuk following the expiry of their contracts.
Ahead of the season finale, Kim Kyung-moon left praise and affectionate advice for Heo In-seo, whom he had held back on. Heo In-seo, who emerged as Hanwha’s new starting catcher this season, played in 130 games and recorded a .283 batting average (407 at-bats, 115 hits), 20 home runs, 79 RBIs, 59 runs and an OPS of 0.821.
Heo In-seo, who joined Hanwha after being selected with the 11th overall pick in the second round of the 2022 secondary rookie draft, is in his fifth year this season but retained eligibility for rookie of the year after appearing in only 47 plate appearances through last year. Based solely on this season’s performance, he is considered the strongest candidate for rookie of the year and has even been mentioned for the golden glove award at the catcher position. Heo In-seo’s 20 home runs also equal the most by a rookie catcher, a record set by Yang Eui-ji in 2010.
However, Kim Kyung-moon had always responded to questions about Heo In-seo from reporters by saying, “It’s not yet time to praise him,” holding back his remarks. Even a few days before the regular season ended, he delayed evaluation, saying, “I’ll talk after everything is over.” On this day, he finally offered words of encouragement to Heo In-seo.
Kim Kyung-moon recalled, “In-seo got a chance when (Choi) Jae-hun unexpectedly got injured during spring camp, and because he had been steadily preparing and working hard, he seized the opportunity with better results than I had expected.”
The manager said, “Actually, becoming a regular starter for the first time and going to the All-Star Game and receiving Mr. All-Star isn’t easy. I expected his batting average to be around .230 because he struck out a lot, but maintaining above .280 shows that In-seo worked tirelessly and prepared well. Nothing is simply given.”
There was a reason he had held back praise for Heo In-seo until now. Kim Kyung-moon said, “Actually, our pitchers’ performances this year were not that good. When pitchers are not performing well, you cannot praise the catcher. I thought that way because I have been a catcher myself.” He also pointed out areas to improve. Kim said, “Since he played many games this season, there will be things to work on next year in pitcher handling and defense.”
Finally, when asked about Heo In-seo’s chances of winning rookie of the year and the golden glove, Kim Kyung-moon said, “There are other candidates, but I think he has records that are not at all inferior,” and added, “I hope the results turn out well.”
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