Kiwoom Heroes

Korea Baseball Championship franchise in Seoul, South Korea
Kiwoom Heroes
키움 히어로즈
Team logo Cap insignia
Information
LeagueKBO League (2008–present)
LocationSeoul
BallparkGocheok Sky Dome (2016–present)
Established2008; 16 years ago (2008)
Former name(s)
  • Woori Heroes (2008)
  • Seoul Heroes (2008–2009)
  • 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

The Kiwoom Heroes (Korean: 키움 히어로즈) are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Seoul. They are a member of the KBO League. The Heroes play their home games at Gocheok Sky Dome in Gocheok-dong, a neighborhood located in the southwestern part of Seoul. The Heroes mascot is Teokdori (턱돌이; Mr. Jaw).

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 renamed as Goyang Heroes (고양 히어로즈).

History

The franchise was originally known as the Sammi SuperStars and had subsequent incarnations as the Chungbo Pintos and 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).

In January 2008, the team was disbanded. After that, Centennial Investments formed a new team called Woori Heroes. Unlike other clubs in the KBO League, which are controlled by chaebol companies, the Heroes are owned by a group of individuals led by Lee Chang-suk, rather than being owned by their title sponsor. During the 2008 season, Woori Tobacco Company terminated their naming sponsor agreement, citing that the Heroes had not yet paid the full KBO founding fee, forcing the team to trade most of its star players for money. For the remainder of the 2008 season and into the 2009 season, the team used only "Heroes" as their name.

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

On 6 November 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
2008 Mokdong
Baseball Stadium
7/8 7/8 126 50 76 0 .397 .266 70 4.43 Did not qualify
2009 6/8 6/8 133 60 72 1 .451 .272 153 5.40 Did not qualify
2010 7/8 7/8 133 52 78 3 .391 .262 87 4.55 Did not qualify
2011 8/8 8/8 133 51 80 2 .389 .245 79 4.36 Did not qualify
2012 6/8 6/8 133 61 69 3 .469 .243 102 3.83 Did not qualify Park Byung-ho (MVP)
Seo Geon-chang (ROTY)
2013 4/9 3/9 128 72 54 2 .571 .272 125 4.12 Lost semi-playoff vs. Doosan Bears (2–3) Park Byung-ho (MVP)
2014 2/9 2/9 128 78 48 2 .619 .298 199 5.25 Won playoff vs. LG Twins (3–1)
Lost Korean Series vs. Samsung Lions (2–4)
Seo Geon-chang (MVP)
2015 4/10 4/10 144 78 65 1 .545 .298 203 4.91 Won wild card vs. SK Wyverns (1–0)
Lost semi-playoff vs. Doosan Bears (1–3)
2016 Gocheok
Sky Dome
3/10 3/10 144 77 66 1 .538 .293 134 4.96 Lost semi-playoff vs. LG Twins (1–3) Shin Jae-young (ROTY)
2017 7/10 7/10 144 69 73 2 .486 .290 141 5.03 Did not qualify Lee Jung-hoo (ROTY)
2018 4/10 4/10 144 75 69 0 .521 .288 165 5.08 Won wild card vs. Kia Tigers (1–0)
Won semi-playoff vs. Hanwha Eagles (3–1)
Lost playoff vs. SK Wyverns (2–3)
2019 2/10 3/10 144 86 57 1 .601 .282 112 3.61 Won semi-playoff vs. LG Twins (3–1)
Won playoff vs. SK Wyverns (3–0)
Lost Korean Series vs. Doosan Bears (0–4)
2020 5/10 5/10 144 80 63 1 .559 .269 127 4.39 Lost wild card vs. LG Twins (0–1)
2021 5/10 5/10 144 70 67 7 .511 .259 91 4.31 Lost wild card vs. Doosan Bears (1–1)
2022 2/10 3/10 144 80 62 2 .563 .252 94 3.79 Won semi-playoff vs. KT Wiz (3–2)
Won playoff vs. LG Twins (3–1)
Lost Korean Series vs. SSG Landers (2–4)
Lee Jung-hoo (MVP)
2023 10/10 10/10 144 58 83 3 .411 .261 61 4.41 Did not qualify

Current roster

  • v
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Kiwoom Heroes current roster
Pitchers
  • 00 Park Yun-sung
  • 8 Kim Seong-min
  • 11 Cho Sang-woo
  • 19 Kim Yun-ha
  • 20 Cho Young-gun
  • 21 Moon Sung-hyun
  • 28 Kim Jae-woong
  • 30 Ju Seung-woo
  • 31 Oh Seok-joo
  • 38 Lee Myeong-jong
  • 39 Oh Sang-won
  • 42 Park Seung-joo
  • 43 Kim Dong-kyu
  • 46 Won Jong-hyan
  • 49 Kim Seon-gi
  • 50 Ha Yeong-min
  • 54 Enmanuel De Jesus
  • 58 Jeong Chan-heon
  • 60 Kim Dong-hyeok
  • 61 Jang Jae-young
  • 62 Jhun Jun-pyo
  • 63 Son Hyeon-gi
  • 66 Lee Jong-min
  • 67 Kim In-beom
  • 68 Kim Yeon-ju
  • 75 Ariel Jurado
  • 95 Yun Seok-won
Catchers
  • 22 Kim Dong-heon
  • 26 Kim Si-ang
  • 32 Kim Jae-hyun
  • 64 Park Seong-bhin
  • 96 Park Jun-hyeong
  • 97 Kim Ji-sung
Infielders
  • 0 Kim Byeong-hwi
  • 1 Kim Tae-jin
  • 3 Kim Hye-seong
  • 5 Lee Jae-sang
  • 6 Kim Ju-hyung
  • 10 Kim Woong-bin
  • 12 Kim Gun-hee
  • 13 Kim Su-hwan
  • 17 Lee Won-seok
  • 24 Song Sung-mun
  • 29 Im Ji-yeol
  • 37 Sin Jun-woo
  • 44 Ko Young-woo
  • 53 Choi Joo-hwan
  • 92 Lee Seung-won
  • 94 Song Ji-hoo
Outfielders
  • 2 Lee Ju-hyoung
  • 14 Park Soo-jong
  • 15 Lee Yong-kyu
  • 23 Ye Jin-won
  • 25 Ju Seong-won
  • 27 Ronnie Dawson
  • 35 Lim Byeong-wuk
  • 36 Lee Hyung-jong
  • 48 Park Chan-hyeok
  • 56 Byeon Sang-kwon
  • 57 Park Ju-hong
Coaching Staff
  • Manager 78 Hong Won-ki
  • Bench coach 72 Kim Chang-hyun
  • Battery 89 Park Do-hyun
  • First base 86 Kim Ji-soo
  • Third base 74 Jo Jae-young
  • Hitting 77 Kang Byeong-sik
  • Hitting Sub 73 Oh Yun
  • Pitching 79 Song Shin-young
  • Defence 76 Kim Il-gyeong
  • Bullpen 87 Park Jung-bae
  • Bullpen -- Ma Jung-kil

Managers

  • Lee Kwang-hwan (2008)
  • Kim Si-jin (2009–2012)
  • Kim Sung-gap (2012) (caretaker)
  • Youm Kyoung-youb (2013–2016)
  • Jang Jeong-seok (2017–2019)
  • Son Heuk (2020)
  • Kim Chang-hyun (2020–2021) (caretaker)
  • Hong Won-ki (2021–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
Specific
  1. ^ 베이스볼 브레이크 ‘화성 히어로즈’…넥센 2군 신선한 파격 from Sports Dong-a.
  2. ^ 화성시 연고 넥센 2군 '화성 히어로즈', KT위즈와 홈 개막 경기 펼쳐 from Asia Today
  3. ^ "Baseball club signs main sponsorship deal with securities firm". Yonhap News Agency. 6 November 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  4. ^ "'6할 승률 3위+KS 스윕패' 잘했기에 더 아쉬운 키움의 2019시즌 [KS 현장]".

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kiwoom Heroes.
  • Official website (in Korean)
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Kiwoom Heroes
  • Formerly the Woori Heroes, Heroes, Seoul Heroes and Nexen Heroes
  • Founded in 2008
  • Based in Seoul
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