History of Kia Tigers in Timeline

The Kia Tigers are a South Korean professional baseball team established in 1982 and located in Gwangju. Formerly known as the Haitai Tigers until 2001, they are members of the KBO League. They are the most successful team in KBO history, with a record of twelve Korean Series championships, winning all twelve series they appeared in. The team plays its home games at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field.

1964: Kim Eung-ryong Managed Amateur Team

In 1964, Kim Eung-ryong managed Haitai's amateur baseball team.

1981: Kim Eung-ryong Managed Amateur Team

From 1964 to 1981, Kim Eung-ryong managed Haitai's amateur baseball team.

January 30, 1982: Haitai Tigers Founded

On January 30, 1982, the Haitai Tigers were founded as the third professional baseball team in South Korea with 14 players. Kim Dong-yeob was the team's first manager.

1982: Kia Tigers Founded

In 1982, the Kia Tigers were founded as a South Korean professional baseball team based in Gwangju.

1983: Kim Eung-ryong Manages the Tigers

From 1983 to 1997, under manager Kim Eung-ryong, the Tigers won nine championships, never losing a Korean Series during that span.

1983: Kim Eung-ryong Hired and First Championship

In 1983, Kim Eung-ryong was hired as manager and led the team to its first championship, winning the Korean Series 4–0–1 against MBC Chungyong.

1984: Bang Soo-won Pitches No-Hitter

In 1984, Bang Soo-won pitched the first no-hitter in Korean baseball history against the Sammi Superstars.

1986: Won Korean Series

In 1986, the Tigers won their second Korean Series 4–1 against the Samsung Lions.

1989: Consecutive Korean Series Wins

Until 1989, the Haitai Tigers won once more against the Samsung Lions and twice against the Binggrae Eagles to complete four consecutive Korean Series wins. Kim Jung-soo, Kim Joon-hwan, Moon Hye-soo, and Park Chul-woo were named MVPs of each series.

1990: Lost in Playoffs

In 1990, the Tigers lost in the playoffs to the Samsung Lions.

1991: Korean Series Win and Golden Glove Awards

In 1991, the Tigers won the Korean Series and set a record when the team won six out of ten possible KBO League Golden Glove Awards.

1993: Seventh Korean Series Win

1993 was a successful year for the Tigers, marked by the performance of rookie shortstop Lee Jong-beom, closer Sun Dong-yeol, and starters Lee Dae-jin and Lee Kang-chul. The Tigers won their seventh Korean Series, defeating the Samsung Lions.

1994: Lee Jong-beom Batting Average

In 1994, Lee Jong-beom achieved a batting average of 0.393, the second-highest in Korean baseball history, but the team lost the semi-playoffs to the Hanhwa Eagles.

1994: Kim Ki-tae Led League in Home Runs

In 1994, as a player, Kim Ki-tae led the League in home runs.

1996: Eighth Korean Series Win

In 1996, despite the transfer of star closer Sun Dong-yeol to the Chunichi Dragons, Lim Chang-yong and Gang Tae-won led the team to its eighth Korean Series win over the Hyundai Unicorns.

1997: Kim Eung-ryong Manages the Tigers

From 1983 to 1997, under manager Kim Eung-ryong, the Tigers won nine championships, never losing a Korean Series during that span.

1997: Kim Ki-tae Won Batting Title

In 1997, as a player, Kim Ki-tae won the batting title.

1997: First Double Victory since 1997

In 2009, The Tigers won the 2009 KBO season and 2009 Korean Series, which was the first "double- victory" (having the best record in the regular season and then winning the Korea Series) by a team in the KBO since 1997.

1998: Asian Financial Crisis

Due to the Asian financial crisis in 1998, Haitai faced financial difficulty and was forced to sell the team to Kia in 2001.

2001: Sale to Kia

Due to the Asian financial crisis in 1998, Haitai was forced to sell the team to Kia in 2001.

2001: Lee Jong-beom Returns

In 2001, Lee Jong-beom returned from Japan, and rookies Hong Se-wan, catcher Kim Sang-hoon and pitcher Kim Jin-woo joined between 2001 and 2002.

2002: Rookies Join

Between 2001 and 2002, rookies Hong Se-wan, catcher Kim Sang-hoon and pitcher Kim Jin-woo joined the team, leading to the playoffs for three straight years from 2002 to 2004.

2004: Playoff Loss

From 2002 to 2004, the team made it to the playoffs for three straight years but were beaten by the LG Twins, the SK Wyverns, and the Doosan Bears respectively.

2005: Finished in Eighth Place

In 2005, Kia Tigers lost 76 games to end up in eighth place. Manager Yoo Nam-ho was fired.

2005: Finished Bottom of the League

In 2005, the Kia Tigers finished bottom of the league for the first time.

June 2007: Jo Beom-hyun Promoted to Manager

In June 2007, Batting coach Jo Beom-hyun was promoted to the new manager position.

2007: Finished in Last Place

In 2007, despite Seo Jung-hwan taking charge and the joining of former MLB player Hee-seop Choi, the Kia Tigers ended up in last place.

2007: Finished Bottom of the League Again

In 2007, the Kia Tigers finished bottom of the league again.

2008: Finished in Sixth Place

In 2008, former MLB pitcher Seo Jae-weong joined the team, but because of a weak lineup, unstable defense and bullpen problems, the Tigers finished the pennant race in sixth place.

2009: Won KBO Season and Korean Series

In 2009, the Kia Tigers won the 2009 KBO season and 2009 Korean Series. This marked the first "double-victory" (best record in the regular season and winning the Korea Series) by a team in the KBO since 1997.

2009: Won the Pennant

In 2009, the Kia Tigers won the pennant with a win percentage of 0.609 and the second-lowest team ERA in the league (3.92), despite a rough start to the season.

2009: Kim Sang-hyeon Traded

In 2013, The Tigers made a disastrous trade when they off-loaded 2009 MVP Kim Sang-hyeon to the SK Wyverns for right-handed pitcher Song Eun-beom.

2010: Yang Hyeon-jong's Run

The Tigers had a very promising pre-season, and the batters, especially Choi Hee-seop, came alive. In 2013, left-handed pitcher Yang Hyeon-jong was enjoying his best run since notching up 16 wins in 2010.

2010: Yang Hyeon-jong's Best Figures Since 2010

Yang Hyeon-jong finished 2014 with 16 wins, his best figures since 2010.

October 18, 2011: Sun Dong-yeol and Lee Soon-cheol Return

On October 18, 2011, Sun Dong-yeol was named the new manager and Lee Sun-choel was named the new head coach of the KIA Tigers.

2012: Finished in Fifth Place

In Sun Dong-yeol's first season as manager in 2012, the Tigers finished a disappointing fifth place after making the playoffs.

2013: Complete-Game Wins

In 2012, the final weeks saw the Tigers get inspired confidence that 2013 would be a good year after starting pitchers Seo Jae-weong, Kim Jin-woo and Yoon Suk-min all posted complete-game wins.

2013: Eighth Place Finish

In 2013, KIA ended the season in eighth place with 51 wins from 128 games.

2013: Kim Ki-tae Led LG Twins to Post-Season

In 2013, Kim Ki-tae led the LG Twins to their first post-season in eleven years, but quit just a month into the new season.

October 28, 2014: Kim Ki-tae Appointed Manager

On October 28, 2014, the club announced that Kim Ki-tae would be their new manager, having signed a three-year deal.

2014: Finished Eighth in Standings

Despite posting some solid batting numbers, the Tigers finished eighth in the standings in 2014 with a .422 winning percentage. Yang Hyeon-jong finished with 16 wins.

2014: Moved to Gwangju KIA Champions Field

In 2014, the Tigers moved to their new home, the 27,000 capacity Gwangju KIA Champions Field. Free agents Lee Yong-kyu and Yoon Suk-min left the club, but Lee Dae-hyung and Kim Byung-hyun joined.