The award ceremony for the '2022 Joa Pharmaceutical Baseball Grand Prix,' co-sponsored by Joa Pharmaceutical and Daily Sports, was held on the morning of the 1st at the Grand Ballroom of the Swiss Grand Hotel in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Lee Jung-hoo, who won the grand prize, poses for a photo with reliever LG Ko Woo-seok and photogenic coach LG Lee Jong-beom.

The LG Twins' first title in 29 years meant a lot to coach Lee Jong-beom, 53, a former Tiger. It was special because it was the first championship of his coaching career and the first with his son-in-law, Ko Woo-seok (25).

LG defeated KT 6-2 in the fifth game of the best-of-seven Korean Series (best-of-five) on Nov. 13, winning the series 4-1. It was the third time in his career that he won the title, after winning it in 1990 and 1994.

Lee, who was overjoyed with his players, made it a memorable occasion by posing for photos with his family after the ceremony. His son-in-law, Ko Woo-seok, who joined the family in January, was also present.

Go Woo-seok, who led the KBO in saves last year, tied the knot with Lee's daughter, Lee Ga-hyun, who is the younger sister of Lee's friend Lee Jung-hoo (25, Kiwoom Heroes), before the season. The father-in-law and son-in-law led LG to the top of the standings just one year after becoming a baseball family.

It's the fifth Korean Series title for the coach, who made his mark with outstanding performances during his playing days.

LG's Kim Hyun-soo, with runners on first and second base in the seventh inning of the baseball game between the LG Twins and KT Wiz in the second round of the Korean Baseball Organization '2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO Postseason' at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Olympic-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul, on November 8, 2018.

In his first season as a professional, Lee guided Haetae to Korean Series titles in 1993, 1996, and 1997, and helped the team return to the top in 2009. The big-game coach was also named the Korean Series Most Valuable Player (MVP) twice, in 1993 and 1997.

It was his first championship as a coach. It took him more than a decade to get his first championship ring after retiring from active play in 2013.

"I think it's a special feeling (to win my first championship as a coach)," he said, "I was just there to support the players. It just feels good to win," he said.

"We won because the players played well, not the manager or the coach. I know this from my own experience, but the players play the biggest role in winning. It was possible because they did a good job of fulfilling the instructions of the manager and coach," he said, adding, "I want to give all the credit to the players."

Lee's son-in-law, closer Go Woo-seok, has been through heaven and hell in the Korean Series, but he pitched the ninth inning of Game 5 to close out the final out and secure the win.

The coach encouraged his son-in-law, saying, "(Go) Woo-seok had some ups and downs (in the Korean Series), but I think the hard part will go away because he finished well, and everything is fine now."


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