Kiwoom Heroes

Kiwoom Heroes (Korean: 키움 히어로즈) is a South Korean professional baseball team based in Seoul. They are a member of the KBO League. The Heroes mascot is Teokdori (턱돌이; Mr. Jaw). Like other baseball teams in South Korea, the team is known primarily by the name of the sponsor, occasionally as their nickname, and never as the city in which they are based. The Heroes play their home games at Gocheok Sky Dome in Gocheok-dong, a neighborhood located in the southwestern part of Seoul.

Kiwoom Heroes
키움 히어로즈
Team logo Cap insignia
Information
LeagueKBO League (2008–present)
LocationSeoul, South Korea
BallparkGocheok Sky Dome (2016–present)
Year established2008 (2008)
Former name(s)
  • Woori Heroes (2008)
  • Heroes (2008–2009)
  • Seoul Heroes (2009)
  • Nexen Heroes (2010–2018)
Former ballparksMokdong Baseball Stadium (2008–2015)
ColorsBurgundy and grey
   
OwnershipSeoul Heroes, Co., LTD.[Note 1]
ManagerHong Won-ki
Websitewww.heroesbaseball.co.kr

In 2014, the Futures League squad changed its name to Hwaseong Heroes (화성 히어로즈), differentiating from the first string.[1][2] In 2019, Hwaseong Heroes changed to Goyang Heroes(고양 히어로즈).

History

The franchise was originally known as the Sammi SuperStars and had subsequent incarnations as the Chungbo Pintos and Taepyungyang (Pacific) Dolphins. The team was renamed the Hyundai Unicorns after being sold to Hyundai in 1996, and was relocated from Incheon to Suwon. The Unicorns won the KBO championship four times (1998, 2000, 2003 and 2004), with only the Kia Tigers, Samsung Lions, and Doosan Bears having a better record of championship victories.

In January 2008, the team was dissolved. After that, Centennial Investments founded a new team called the Woori Heroes. Unlike the other KBO League ballclubs, the Heroes are owned by a collection of individuals headed by Lee Chang-suk (founder), instead of being owned by its naming sponsor. During the 2008 season, Woori Tobacco Company broke the naming sponsor deal, citing that the Heroes has not paid the full founding fee to the KBO yet, forcing the team to trade most of its star players for cash. For the rest of the 2008 season and the 2009 season, the team used only "Heroes" for its name.

On February 8, 2010, naming rights were sold to Nexen Tire.

On November 6, 2018, naming rights were sold to Kiwoom Securities.[3] The Kiwoom Heroes made it to the Korean Series in their first year, but lost to the Doosan Bears to finish second. [4]

Season-by-season records

Year Stadium Rank Regular Season Postseason Awards
Standings Games W L D Win% BA HR ERA
2008Mokdong
Baseball Stadium
7/87/812650760.397.266704.43Did not qualify
20096/86/813360721.451.2721535.40Did not qualify
20107/87/813352783.391.262874.55Did not qualify
20118/88/813351802.389.245794.36Did not qualify
20126/86/813361693.469.2431023.83Did not qualifyPark Byung-ho (MVP)
Seo Geon-chang (ROTY)
20134/93/912872542.571.2721254.12Lost Semi-playoff vs. Doosan Bears (2–3)Park Byung-ho (MVP)
20142/92/912878482.619.2981995.25Won Playoff vs. LG Twins (3–1)
Lost Korean Series vs. Samsung Lions (2–4)
Seo Geon-chang (MVP)
20154/104/1014478651.545.2982034.91Won Wild Card vs. SK Wyverns (1–0)
Lost Semi-playoff vs. Doosan Bears (1–3)
2016Gocheok
Sky Dome
4/103/1014477661.538.2931344.96Lost Semi-playoff vs. LG Twins (1–3)Shin Jae-young (ROTY)
20177/107/1014469732.486.2901415.03Did not qualifyLee Jung-hoo (ROTY)
20183/104/1014475690.521.2881655.08Won Wild Card vs. Kia Tigers (1–0)
Won Semi-playoff vs. Hanwha Eagles (3–1)
Lost Playoff vs. SK Wyverns (2–3)
20192/103/1014486571.601.2821123.60Won Semi-playoff vs. LG Twins (3–1)
Won Playoff vs. SK Wyverns (3–0)
Lost Korean Series vs. Doosan Bears (0–4)
20205/1014480631.559Lost Wild Card vs. LG Twins (0–1)
Overall recordGamesWinsLossesDrawsWin%
Regular Season163488987019.505
Postseason4622240.478
Total182491189419.505

Current lineup

Managers

  • Lee Kwang-hwan (2008)
  • Kim Si-jin (2009–2012)
  • Kim Sung-gap (2012) (caretaker)
  • Yeom Kyeong-yeop (2013–2016)
  • Jang Jeong-seok (2017–2019)
  • Son Heuk (2020–present)

Notes

  1. Although the first and second string of the club are Kiwoom Heroes and Hwaseong Heroes, the owner company is Seoul Heroes (formerly, Centennial Investment). Seoul Heroes is one of the former names of the club.

References

General
  • "Complete league history and statistics" (in Korean). Korean Baseball League. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
Specific
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.