Baseball Lovers will find "Hot Stove League" fascinating

 Baseball is a game loaded with statistics and the art of hitting an elusive ball where no one can catch it.  "Hot Stove League" (2019) is the most comprehensive sports series I have seen.  We mostly see the players and coach in most sports films, but it takes more to keep a professional sports franchise operating

The main character Baek Seung-soo, with an unusual background applies for the the general manager job for a Korean baseball team.  Although he has no baseball managing experience he had taken teams in three different sports (handball, wrestling and ice hockey) to the top after which they disbanded.  The operations manager, Lee Se-young and the coaches are repulsed by the idea, but somewhere in the ownership they are impressed with him and he does get hired.  

He certainly does have some odd ideas to turn a last place team to a winner.  At first he makes no changes amongst the management or coaching staff although aware of quarrelling among the coaches, but soon makes a move upsetting to them all.  He wants to trade their one top player who is very resentful to the idea.  It turns out Seung-soo has analyzed statistics in a sophisticated manner and starts to win over some of the management staff.

But this is just the tip of an iceberg.  The series explores scouting, statistics, drafting, training, contracts, public relations, marketing merchandise and ad space.  Trades are at the heart of what a general manager does.  Seung-soo sought teams with a weakness at a position that he was strong in and offer a player for their weakness.  At one point breaking down batting average to the spring, summer and fall.  When the steroid scandal developed, punishments were adjusted to discourage, but also to early confessions and this affected trades.        

Two other issues provide complications.  Match fixing is a concern at the league level.  Citizenship requirements, unique to Korea provide emotional concerns.

The corporation owning the team is concerned with branding, while keeping expenses low and reputation. intact  They force changes for the baseball operations.  Their inner workings with regard to the dynamics outside baseball inevitably impinge on the team.

The cast and crew have created a very engaging series.  Here are some of them.

Dong Yoon Jung was the director.  He has 3 directing credits.

Lee Shin-Hwa was the writer with this being his only credit.

Park Eun-bin played the operations manager, Lee Se-yeung who personifies a feminist heroine in that she is not only attractive and likeable, but also does a good job without any romantic entanglements.  She has 30 acting credits including "The King's Affection" (2021), "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" (2022) and "Castaway Diva" (2023).   See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/08/extraordinary-attorney-woo.html

Namgoong Min played Baek Seung-su.  He has 34 acting credits.

Oh Jung-se played Kwon Kyeong-min, a key ownership executive.  He has 100 acting credits including "Swing Kids" (2018), "When the Camellia Blooms" (2019), "It's Okay Not To Be Okay" (2020), "Little Women" (2022), "When Life Gives You Tangerines" (2023), "When the Stars Gossip" (2025) and "We Are All Trying Here" (2026).  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/03/its-okay-not-to-be-okay.html   Note: Both Oh Jung-se and Park Eun-Bin have won awards for prominent roles as autistics in a series.

Song Jong-hak played Go Kang-seon, an ownership executive.  He has 57 acting credits including "When the Camellia Blooms" (2019) and "Flower of Evil"(2020).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/10/flower-of-evil.html 

Ha Do-Kwon played Kang Do-gi, one of the traded baseball players.  He has 31 acting credits including "My Mister" (2018) and "Doctor John" (2019).   See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2026/02/doctor-john-highlights-pain.html

Kim Soo-jin  played Lim Mi-jin, the marketing manager.  She has 37 acting credits including "Navillera" (2021).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/11/navillera.html

Jeon Gook Hwan played Kwan Il-do, the chairman of the ownership group.  He has 62 acting credits including "Glove" (2011), "Silenced" (2011), "My Mister" (2018) and "Crash Landing on You" (2019).  Note:  "Glove" is another Korean baseball film based on a true story about a suspended pro baseball player required to coach a team of deaf students.  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2020/02/crash-landing-on-you-very-addicting.html

Most sports movies are all about a team overcoming odds to be a winner.  "Hot Stove Lounge" is more about maintaining a sports organization under very trying circumstances.  It can be viewed on Netflix subtitled.

As usual I have bolded the first mention of films I have seen.  Some of them are among my favourite Korean films and a big part of my Korean obsession.  If you follow the links you should be able to determine if any film is worth following up.