Former Hanwha coach Carlos Subero (51) left Korea with a smile. He put down his baton due to sudden hardship, but he had no doubts about Hanwha’s bright future.
On the afternoon of the 13th, former coach Subero left for Orlando, Florida, USA, where his home is located, via Incheon International Airport. After winning against Samsung in Daejeon on the 11th, I received a notice of hardship, and after packing my luggage on the 12th, I boarded the departure flight on the 13th. Appearing at the airport with his wife, former manager Subero smiled brightly and greeted the club officials with hugs. He didn’t look like a manager who was suddenly sacked.
In an interview with reporters at the airport, former coach Subero said, “In everything, there are people who plant seeds and people who reap them. My role was to silently plant the seeds. In the process, I am grateful for successfully completing the project without being shaken by external pressure,” he said. “I treated so many players like my son. In the meantime, he has suffered numerous breakups while coaching various teams, but his heart was not as broken as this one. (To the players) ‘You have to know how to get upset about finishing last every time and losing in the same way. He told me to play baseball with conviction and live life.”
The Hanwha fans who supported him even during the long and dark period remained deep in the heart of former coach Subero. He said, “Hanwha fans play a song and are genuinely happy if they score 1 point with a push walk even if they are losing by 17 points. Even after 2-3 hours after the game, he stayed at the baseball field and waited for me, telling me that he had worked hard. I will never forget the sincere love of Hanwha fans.” It won’t be long before Hanwha fans can smile. Please support Hanwha until the end.”
[OSEN=Incheon Airport, Correspondent Lee Dae-seon] Head coach Carlos Subero, who resigned from the Hanwha headquarters, departed from Incheon International Airport on the 13th. Director Subero is greeting the club officials. 2023.05.13 /sunday@osen.co.kr
Not only in interviews, but also through his social media, he sent a final video greeting to his fans. Interpreter Lee Hyeon-jae, who has been by his side since last year, immediately translated the words of former coach Subero. Former coach Subero said, “I greet you at Incheon Airport. He is ready to go home. Thank you to KBO and Hanwha fans. Dear fans of the 10 KBO teams, thank you for presenting a special atmosphere wherever you go. You are truly special fans.”
Then, to Hanwha fans, “I’m not saying this because I’m the coach of the team I support, you guys are really the best. I was very grateful for always sending good support and support even in difficult situations,” he said. “It seems that the team is now ready to go up. The day will come when you will laugh. I will laugh for a long time.”
Former coach Subero took office as Hanwha’s 12th command tower in November 2020. After spending the worst season with 18 consecutive losses in the KBO league that year, the most tie ever, Hanwha, who organized a large number of veteran players and started a complete rebuild, signed a 3-year contract with coach Subero, a “training expert” who had only served as a minor league coach for 15 years.
Former director Subero at the inauguration ceremony on January 26, 2021. / Courtesy of Hanwha Eagles
Coach Subero, who took charge of a team that was in a state of wasteland and gave young players the freedom to fail and ordered them to have faith, focused on player growth rather than team performance. He took the first step in rebuilding by creating a new wind with a major league-style unconventional shift. The ranking in the first year of 2021 was 10th as expected (49 wins, 83 losses, 12 draws, .371), but I saw hope with the performance of young players in pitching, such as Jeong Eun-won, Noh Si-hwan, Kim Min-woo, and Kang Jae-min.
However, from the second year season, it started to creak. The team hoped to run a winning game without reinforcing the power to do so, and the line injury of foreign pitchers overlapped and the performance plummeted from the start. Although the power was so weak, the management of Subero, who was not detailed in the game, was also on the cutting board. As the competitive system faded, tensions dropped, and player growth slowed. In the end, with 46 wins, 92 losses and 2 draws (.324), he wrote the disgraceful record for the most losses in the club’s history.
At the end of the season, there were discussions about the resignation of coach Subero, but it was concluded that he was re-confirmed in the final stage. In the final year of his contract, the club reinforced his power with free agents and trades, but he fell to 10th from the beginning amidst the sluggishness of foreign players. The lame duck came early, repeating unfortunate come-from-behind losses, such as losing both of the opening two consecutive games.
[OSEN=Daejeon, Correspondent Cho Eun-jung] Former manager of Hanwha Subero. 2023.03.18 /cej@osen.co.kr
During the losing streak at the end of April, Hanwha made an internal decision to replace the manager, and went through the process of receiving final approval from the group until the appointment of a new manager Choi Won-ho. In May, they succeeded in getting out of last place with 5 wins and 2 losses, and were rebounding, but once decided, they could not be undone. Coach Subero, who was notified of the termination of the contract in the ninth place with 11 wins, 19 losses and 1 draw (.367), left a record of 106 wins, 198 losses and 15 draws (.349) in 319 games over the past three years.먹튀검증
Even though he dropped out midway due to poor performance, former coach Subero laid the foundation by sowing seeds for Hanwha’s future. Even in a situation where one win was urgent, he did not pull an injured player and endured it. The pitchers were not overworked with strict management principles. He protected the players by claiming to be a rebuilding shield, and saw potential by giving several players even opportunities. Even before this season, “It is the last year of the contract, but the principles of protecting and managing the future of players do not change. It is a philosophy that has been followed as a baseball player. All decisions will be made for the future of Hanwha.”
Just like the philosopher Spinoza, who said he would plant an apple tree even if the earth perishes tomorrow, Director Subero’s unwavering patience and philosophy will be reevaluated over time.