“We threw away (the out).”
Lee Seung-yeop, manager of the Doosan Bears, spoke out against the Lotte Giants in Jamsil on Sunday regarding a dubious umpiring call in the previous game. The umpire was the first to make a mistake, but the play of Lotte catcher Yoo Kang-nam, who was on point in the exact same situation, forced Lee to accept the call.
Doosan was down 2-7 in the bottom of the ninth inning against Lotte in Jamsil on the 26th. Even with the game tied, the team needed to create a rally to avoid falling into a losing streak. With the count 2-2, Cho swung at an 8-pitch curveball from pitcher Han Hyun-hee, but the ball slipped behind the catcher. Both Cho and the catcher, Yoo Kang-nam, realized it was a strike-and-nothing situation and tried to make a play, but the umpire called a foul.
Cho, who was about to run to first base, stopped immediately when the umpire called it, while Yoo Kang-nam continued the play by throwing the ball to first base. Lotte requested a video review of the swing/foul, and the call was overturned as a swing and not a foul. Cho was called out for striking out and not fouling out.
Lee immediately asked the umpires for their opinion on the call, and they clarified the situation, saying, “We informed the players two to three years ago that they should play to the end regardless of the umpire’s gesture.” Baseball commentator Kim Tae-hyung, who served as the commentator for the day, said, “I remember the umpires explaining that to me (when I was a manager),” emphasizing that players should play to the end and then wait for the call.
Lee said, “I agree with the no-swing call. (Cho) Suh tried to run, but they called a foul and he stopped. We tried to check that, but of course we were wrong. Even if the umpire calls it, you have to finish the play. I think he didn’t run because he was close to the referee. The first mistake was the referee, but I accept that the player didn’t play to the end.”
However, Yoo Kang-nam didn’t stop playing. That’s why Lee couldn’t just blame the referee. “Even though he was called for a foul, he continued to play as he felt and got an out, and we lost. It’s a play that players shouldn’t make next time, and they should finish the play.”온라인바카
Yoo Kang-nam signed a four-year, 8 billion won free agent contract with the Lotte Giants before the season, and has been a stalwart at the plate this season, quenching Lotte’s long-standing thirst for a catcher. On this day, he proved his worth with a solid performance in a game that Lee admittedly had its ups and downs. Lotte won 7-2, snapping a three-game losing streak and ending Doosan’s 12-game winning streak.