SSG Landers () are a South Korean
professional baseball team. The team was originally established as the SK Wyverns but was renamed as the SSG Landers in 2021 after
Shinsegae
Shinsegae (, ) is a South Korean department store franchise, along with several other businesses, headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. The firm is an affiliate of Shinsegae Group, South Korea's leading retail chaebol, and one of the big three de ...
acquired the team from
SK Group
SK Group ( Korean: SK그룹, 에스케이그룹) is the second largest South Korean chaebol behind Samsung Group. SK Group is composed of 186 subsidiaries and affiliates that share the SK brand name and the group's management culture, named SKMS ...
. They are a member of the
KBO League
The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers ar ...
. Based in
Incheon
Incheon (; ; or Inch'ŏn; literally "kind river"), formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (제물포) until the period after 1910, officially the Incheon Metropolitan City (인천광역시, 仁川廣域市), is a city located in northwestern South Kore ...
, they play their home games at
Incheon SSG Landers Field.
History
2000: Formation (SK Wyverns)
In the 2000 season, the
Ssangbangwool Raiders, a team that had represented the
Jeollabuk-do
North Jeolla Province (; ''Jeollabuk-do''), also known as Jeonbuk, is a province of South Korea. North Jeolla has a population of 1,869,711 (2015) and has a geographic area of 8,067 km2 (3,115 sq mi) located in the Honam region in the southwes ...
region since 1990, was dissolved because of the bankruptcy of the Ssangbangwool Group, the team's owner. The franchise was subsumed by the
KBO League
The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers ar ...
, which then awarded a new franchise to the
SK conglomerate. The new franchise was named the SK Wyverns (a
wyvern
A wyvern ( , sometimes spelled wivern) is a legendary winged dragon that has two legs.
The wyvern in its various forms is important in heraldry, frequently appearing as a mascot of schools and athletic teams (chiefly in the United States, Un ...
is a type of dragon). The Raiders and the Wyverns had no historical links, although the new team consisted mostly of former Raiders players.
The
Hyundai Unicorns
The Hyundai Unicorns () were a South Korean professional baseball team based in Suwon. They were a member of the KBO League. The Unicorns won the KBO championship four times (1998, 2000, 2003 and 2004).
The Unicorns were dissolved after the 20 ...
moved out of
Incheon
Incheon (; ; or Inch'ŏn; literally "kind river"), formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (제물포) until the period after 1910, officially the Incheon Metropolitan City (인천광역시, 仁川廣域市), is a city located in northwestern South Kore ...
and wanted to relocate to
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
, but failed because of the resistance of the
Doosan Bears
The Doosan Bears ( ko, 두산 베어스) are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Seoul. Founded in 1982, they are a member of the KBO League. The Bears have won six Korean Series titles (1982, 1995, 2001, 2015, 2016, and 2019) and ...
and the
LG Twins
LG Corporation (or LG Group) (), formerly Lucky-Goldstar from 1983 to 1995 (Korean: ''Leokki Geumseong''; ), is a South Korean multinational conglomerate founded by Koo In-hwoi and managed by successive generations of his family. It is ...
; the Unicorns then moved to
Suwon
Suwon (, ) is the capital and largest city of Gyeonggi-do, South Korea's most populous province which surrounds Seoul, the national capital. Suwon lies about south of Seoul. It is traditionally known as "The City of Filial Piety". With a populati ...
, with the SK Wyverns filling the void left in Incheon.
2001–2006
The Wyverns' first
Korean Series
The Korean Series is the final championship series of the KBO League. It has been held since the KBO League's first season in and is the final series of the post-season play-offs. From to 2013, the winner of the Korean Series went on to play in ...
appearance came in 2003, where they were defeated by the Hyundai Unicorns in seven games.
2007
In 2007, SK defeated the Doosan Bears in six games to win the
2007 Korean Series – the first time the franchise had won the Korean Series – after finishing the season in first place. They became the first team in Korean Series history to win after losing the first two games. Designated Hitter
Kim Jae-hyun
Kim Jae-hyun is a South Korean drummer, actor, model and singer. He is known for his roles in dramas such as '' Modern Farmer'', ''Sisters-in-law'' and ''Kimi to Sekai ga Owaru Hi ni: Season 1''. He is a member of the South Korean band N.Flying ...
was the series MVP.
SK went on to compete in the
Konami Cup
The Asia Series was an international club baseball competition, contested by the champions of all four of the professional leagues that are associated with the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) — Australian Baseball League (ABL), ...
, a short competition between the champions of the Korean Baseball League, the
Japanese Baseball League
was a professional baseball league in Japan which operated from 1936 to 1949, before reorganizing in 1950 as Nippon Professional Baseball.
The league's dominant team was Tokyo Kyojin (renamed the Yomiuri Giants in 1947), which won nine league c ...
, the
Taiwanese Baseball League, and the
China All-Stars. On 8 November 2007, SK Wyverns defeated the
Chunichi Dragons
The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chūbu region of Japan. The team plays in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. They have won the Central League pennant nine times (most recently in 2011) ...
(6–3), giving Chunichi their first-ever loss in Konami Cup history. On 9 November 2007, SK soundly defeated the China All-Stars (13–0), causing the game to be called in the seventh inning due to the
mercy rule
A mercy rule, slaughter rule, knockout rule, or skunk rule ends a two-competitor sports competition earlier than the scheduled endpoint if one competitor has a very large and presumably insurmountable scoring lead over the other. It is called th ...
. On 10 November 2007, the Wyverns repeated their performance, defeating the
Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions
The Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions, stylized as Uni-President 7-ᴇʟᴇᴠᴇn Lions, also known as Uni-Lions (), are a professional baseball team playing in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). The Lions are based in Tainan City, Ta ...
of Taiwan (13–1) in seven innings. The final game, on 11 November 2007, was a rematch of the first game, between the Chunichi Dragons and the SK Wyverns. In a close game, Chunichi won the game, 6–5.
2008
SK went 83–43–0 in 2008, with a winning percentage of .659, the highest in KBO League history at the time. The team went to the Korean Series again, once again facing their main rivals, the Doosan Bears. In a repeat of 2007, SK defeated Doosan to win their second Korean Series championship.
Choi Jeong
Choi Jeong (Hangul: 최정; born February 28, 1987 in Icheon, South Korea) is a third baseman who has played his whole career for the SK Wyverns (known as the SSG Landers beginning in 2021) in the Korea Baseball Organization. He bats and thro ...
was named the 2008 Korean Series MVP.
SK once again went on to compete in the Konami Cup. On 13 November 2008, SK Wyverns defeated the
Seibu Lions
The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based north of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Seibu Railway, w ...
(4–3), marking the second straight year in which the Korean champions handed the Japanese champions a loss in this competition. On 14 November 2008, they once again defeated the Chinese representatives, the
Tianjin Lions
The Tianjin Lions or Tianjing Fierce Lions (天津雄狮) are a team in the China Baseball League, founded in 2002 as one of the league's four initial members. Their home field is the 2,000-capacity Tian Ti Dodger Stadium in Tianjin.
The Lions ha ...
, in a mercy-rule shortened game. On 15 November 2008, however, they were defeated in a rematch with Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions of Taiwan (10–4) and failed to qualify for the championship game for a second straight year.
2009–2020
In 2009, however, SK were runners-up in the
2009 KBO season and
2009 Korean Series, where they were defeated by the
KIA Tigers
Kia Tigers ( ko, KIA 타이거즈) are a South Korean professional baseball team founded in 1982 and based in the southwestern city of Gwangju. Until 2001, they were known as the Haitai Tigers. The Tigers are a members of the KBO League and are ...
in seven games.
SK rebounded to form in 2010, dominating the regular season and winning the Korean Series in a 4–0 sweep against the
Samsung Lions
The Samsung Lions () are a South Korean professional baseball team founded in 1982. They are based in the southeastern city of Daegu and are members of the KBO League. Their home stadium is Daegu Samsung Lions Park. They have won the Korean Champ ...
. It was SK's fourth straight Korean Series appearance and their third title in four years. The Wyverns also had a 22-game
winning streak
A winning streak, also known as a win streak or hot streak, is an uninterrupted sequence of success in games or competitions, commonly measured by at least 4 wins that are uninterrupted by losses or ties/draws. Although sometimes claimed as a ...
that ended in April 2010, the longest winning streak in Korean Baseball.
In 2011, manager
Kim Sung-keun
Kim Sung-keun (Hangul: 김성근, Hanja: 金星根) (born December 13, 1942, in Kyoto, Japan) is a retired South Korean left-handed baseball pitcher and KBO League manager. Over the course of his managerial career, Kim managed seven different ...
was ousted mid-season after a long-standing disagreement between him and the SK front office. This led to then-head coach
Lee Man-soo
Lee Man-soo (, Hanja: 李萬洙; born September 9, 1958 in Cheorwon, Gangwon-do, South Korea), also spelled as Man Soo Lee, is a former Korea Professional Baseball catcher and First baseman and manager. After a distinguished career as a pro ...
taking over the reins – a move that brought a lot of protests from the SK Wyverns fans, as Kim had led SK to the Korean Series in every year that he had been at the helm.
In both 2011 and 2012, SK reached the Korean Series, where they were both times defeated by the Samsung Lions. SK reached the Korean Series in every season from 2007 to 2012 (six straight seasons).
In 2018, SK faced the Doosan Bears again in the Korean Series and won another championship. This was their fourth win, and three of four wins against Doosan.
2021–present (SSG Landers)
In January 2021,
Shinsegae
Shinsegae (, ) is a South Korean department store franchise, along with several other businesses, headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. The firm is an affiliate of Shinsegae Group, South Korea's leading retail chaebol, and one of the big three de ...
said it would acquire a professional baseball club owned by SK Group as it sought to boost marketing with the sports team. Shinsegae announced that it would buy the SK Wyverns baseball club from
SK Telecom
SK Telecom Co., Ltd. ( or ) is a South Korean wireless telecommunications operator and former film distributor and is part of the SK Group, one of the country's largest chaebols. It leads the local market with 50.5 percent share as of 2008. ...
for 135.2 billion won ($122 million), with Shinsegae's
e-mart
e-mart () is the largest retailer in South Korea. There were 160 stores across the country as of December 2016. It was founded on 12 November 1993 by Shinsegae as the first discount retailer in South Korea.
E-Mart is the oldest and largest dis ...
taking over the team's management. The group paid 100 billion won for a 100-percent stake in the club and 35.2 billion won for facilities and properties. The e-mart-run baseball club was launched in March with a new name, emblem and character. The deal was finalized on 23 February 2021. The Landers finished in sixth place in their first season, with a 66–64–14 record. The following season, however, SSG Landers won the regular season championship with 88 wins out of 144 games, which was their fourth regular season title and the first in SSG era. They subsequently won the
2022 Korean Series, their fifth championship, after defeating
Kiwoom Heroes
The Kiwoom Heroes () 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 Seou ...
4–2 in the finals.
Culture
SSG Landers has benefited economically and gained positive public opinions from the fans and society through successful green campaigns. SSG Landers developed a uniform from recycled polyester. Instead of their team logo on the front, they have dedicated the center spot of the uniform to the slogan "Let’s go green". Even though the team’s traditional colors were red, yellow, and orange they used green for the special uniform.
Also, they changed their home stadium into a green theme park. They added green seats in the outfield seat sections, and also installed solar panels and switched to eco-friendly machines. For example, they changed their original bullpen cart to an electric cart.
The green theme extends to fan events. Fans that used bikes to get to the stadium received discounted tickets. By contributing to the social good and taking social responsibility for the environment, SK Wyverns has received more attention and recognition from the public.
[Choi, Joon-Seo Andrew. "Going green in baseball–a case study of the SK Wyverns." International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship (2016) p.377 ]
Season-by-season records
Managers
* (2000–2002)
*
Cho Bum-hyun
Cho Bum-hyun (born October 1, 1960) is the former manager of the KT Wiz, and a former catcher
Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of t ...
(2002–2006)
*
Kim Sung-keun
Kim Sung-keun (Hangul: 김성근, Hanja: 金星根) (born December 13, 1942, in Kyoto, Japan) is a retired South Korean left-handed baseball pitcher and KBO League manager. Over the course of his managerial career, Kim managed seven different ...
(2006–2011)
*
Lee Man-soo
Lee Man-soo (, Hanja: 李萬洙; born September 9, 1958 in Cheorwon, Gangwon-do, South Korea), also spelled as Man Soo Lee, is a former Korea Professional Baseball catcher and First baseman and manager. After a distinguished career as a pro ...
(2011–2014)
*
Kim Yong-hee (2014–2016)
*
Trey Hillman
Thomas Brad "Trey" Hillman (born January 4, 1963) is an American professional baseball coach. He has also served as the manager of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan's Pacific League, the Kansas City Royals in the American League and the SK ...
(2016–2018)
*
Youm Kyoung-youb (2018–2020)
*
Park Kyung-oan
Park Kyung-oan (born July 11, 1972 in Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea) is a former South Korean baseball catcher and former Olympic bronze medalist. A four-time Golden Glove winner, Park is considered by many to be one of the best catchers i ...
(2020) ''(caretaker)''
*
Kim Won-hyong (2021–present)
References
;General
*
;Specific
External links
SSG Landers Official website
*
{{KBO League
KBO League teams
Landers
Landers may refer to:
People
* Landers (surname), a list of people surnamed Landers (including fictional people)
Places
* Landers, California, United States
* Landers Peaks, group of peaks in the northern portion of Alexander Island, Antarct ...
Sport in Incheon
Baseball teams established in 2000
2000 establishments in South Korea